
Class 
Book. 



Asa 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



A SIIOET HISTORY OF 
PENNSYLVANIA 



BY 

L. S. ^HIMMELL, Ph.D. 

DISTRICT SUrEKVlSOR OF SCHOOLS, HARRISBURG, PA. 
AUTHOR OF "the PENNSYLVANIA CITIZEN," " BORDER WAR- 
FARE IN.PENNSYLVANFA DURING THE REVOLUTON," 
AND " THE GOVERNMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 
AND OF THE UNITED STATES " 




NEW YORK 

CHARLES E. MERRILL CO. 



^1^^ 



r* 



Copyright, 1910, 

BY 

CHARLES E. MERRILL CO. 



@:CI.AJi68443 



PREFACE 

This Short History is intended to give a clear, bird's- 
eye view of the history of Pennsylvania. A class in the 
elementary school may use it as a text-book or for sup- 
plementary reading during a few months. It is for 
these younger readers that the book is written, though 
their elders also may find interest in this record of the 
state from the days of Indian ownership down to con- 
temporary affairs. 

A patriotic duty and a worthy pride should move us 
to study the history of the state in which we live. It is 
the history of our forefathers, and we can little afford 
to neglect their deeds. Pennsylvania ranks second 
among the states in wealth and population, and bears 
the proud name of the Keystone of the Union. If we 
would maintain this preeminence, we must not be in- 
different to our history. 

The study of state history helps appreciably in arous- 
ing interest in American history. The United States has 
a composite history, whether viewed on its political, 
social, or industrial side. Every state helps to make it, 
and the original thirteen more than the others, for they 
have a colonial and a revolutionary history. In Penn- 
sylvania these periods are especially interesting and 
important; yet they have been sadly neglected. The 
persons, places, and events in our state's history are 

3 



4 PREFACE 

near in point of pLace, and have a fascination for the 
mind. To set foot upon historic ground, to stand by an 
historic grave, and to receive history from the hj^s or 
the pen of one who hel})ed to make it — all these are 
powerful adjuncts to teachers and books. 

The Biographical Sketches (pages 201-251) contain 
a record of practically every person named in the book. 
The chronological order of the governors' biographies and 
the alphabeti(;al order of all others make it easy to hnd 
them. *AVhen the name of a person is met in the text 
for the first time, his biograi)hy should be read. 

L. S. Shimmell. 

Ilarrisbiir^, Pa. 
May 14, 1910 



CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

I. The Indians of Pennsylvania 7 

II. The Settlement of Pennsylvania 17 

The Dutch 17 

The Swedes 19 

The English • . 22 

The Germans 34 

The Welsh 40 

The Scotch-Irish 42 

The French Huguenots 44 

III. The Growth of Population and Adjustment of 

Boundaries 46 

IV. The Form of Government 66 

V. Some Affairs of the Government: in the Colo- 
nial Period 72 

Under Penn, 1682-1712 72 

Under Mrs. Penn, 1712-1733 77 

Under the Heirs of Penn, 1733-1776 83 

VI. The Revolutionary Period 95 

VII. The Period From 1790-1860 , . 133 

VIII. The Period of the Civil War 159 

IX. The Period Since the Civil War ...... 176 

Biographical Sketches .201 

Index . 252 



A SHORT 

HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

CHAPTER I 
THE INDIANS OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Two great families. The Indians who occupied the 
territory of Pennsylvania at the time of its settlement by 
Europeans belonged to two great families— the Algon- 
quins and the Iroquois. The Iroquois, or Five Nations, 
lived chiefly in the lake region of New York, from Albany 
to Niagara Falls. Surrounding these dwelt the nu- 
merous nations and tribes of Algonquins. It was in the 
language of the Algonquins that Raleigh's colonists 
were greeted at Roanoke, the Pilgrims at Plymouth, and 
the Quakers at Shackamaxon. The most important of 
the Algonquin tribes were the Lenni-Lenapes, or the 
Delawares as they were called by the English. Their 
Indian name signifies "the original people"; and nearly 
forty tribes acknowledged them as "great grandfathers." 

The Delawares and subtribes. When \\^illiam Penn 
arrived on the banks of the Delaware, he met there the 
Lenni-Lenapes. They had made the Delaware River the 
center of their possessions. They consisted of three 
main tribes— the Turtle, the Turkey, and the Wolf. 

7 



8 A SHORT HISTORY OF PEXXSYLVAXIA 

The first two of tlicsc trilx's lived along the coast from 
the Hudson to the Potomac, between the sea and the 
l^lue Mountains. The third, whom the English called 
Monseys, occupied the mountainous country between 
the Blue Mountains and the sources of the Delaware and 
vSusquehanna rivers. These three tribes were divided 
into numerous subtribes, named after the rivers, creeks, 
or other ])laces at which they lived. 

The Delawares as "women." AMien the Iroquois made 
war on the Delawares, a peculiar agreement was made 
between them. According to the Delaware story the 
Irocjuois, feai'ing total extinction, jn-oposed that the 
Delawares should assume the character of the "woman" 
among the Indians. "One nation," said they, "shall 
be the woman," who was not to go to war, but keej) 
peace with all; and the men were to hear and obey the 
woman. Th(> Delawares were thenceforth to dress in the 
woman's long costume, to carry calabashes filled with 
oil and medicines, and to engage in the cultivation of 
Indian corn. 

Tlu* Iro(]uois denied that the Delawares chose will- 
ingly to ])lay the woman. They claimed to have con- 
quered the Delawares and forced them to adopt the state 
and name of woman. Whichever account is true, the 
fact remains that thc^ Delaware nation was evei- after- 
ward looked to for the ])reservation of the ])eace. It 
was entrusted with the great l)elt of ])eace and the chain 
of friendshi]), the middle of which was said to rest on the 
shoulders of the Delawares while the other Indian na- 
tions held one end and the Europeans the other end. 



THE INDIANS OF PENNSYLVANIA 



9 




The Irociuois, either by strategy or l)y force, were now 
in a position to command the Delaw^ares. These Indians, 
though permitted to stay in their old 
homes, were httle better than serfs. 
The Iroquois frequently came into the 
valleys of the Suscjuehanna, roaming 
about at will and using the waters and 
forests for hshing and hunting. They 
put the country in charge of deputy 
governors, who were appointed by the 
grand council of the Irocjuois. Shikel- 
lim3% the noted chief residing at Shamo- 
kin (now Sunbury), was one of the 
deputy governors of the Iroquois. 

The Five Nations. The Iroquois were 
always considered by the Delawares as 
only one nation. The name Five Nations (and later Six 
Nations) was given them by the English. They had 
formed a league, which consisted originally of the Mo- 
hawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas. The 
Tuscaroras, the sixth and last tribe in the league, joined 
it about one hundred years after its formation. The Tus- 
caroras were chiven out of North Carolina by the white 
settlers in 1713. They moved northward and lived in 
the Juniata Valley for some ten years. A chain of 
mountains in that section of Pennsylvania bears their 
name. 

The Eries. Another nation of Iroquois in Pennsyl- 
vania were the Eries; but they were not connected with 
the Five Nations of New York. The Eries were known 



Shikellimy, the 
Iroquois Chief 



\ 



10 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

also as the Cat Nation, by reason of their cats, a sort of 
small wolf from whose skins they made robes orna- 
mented with tails. The entire nation occupied the shore 
of Lake Erie, from Buffalo to Toledo. 

The Shawanese. The Shawanese tribe was prominent 
in the early history of Pennsylvania. They belonged to 
the Algonquin nation. As wanderers they were without 
rivals among their race. Their original home is not 
known to a certainty, but they have been traced to the 
valley of the Cumberland River. A group of the Shawan- 
ese planted themselves on the Conestoga, and others, at 
the request of the Monseys, were allowed to settle about 
the forks of the Delaware. They finally became a 
numerous and powerful tribe in the })rovince. 

Indian character: good traits. In describing the 
character of the Indians of Pennsylvania, we should 
first go back to a time before they had become greatly 
changed by the Europeans. Heckewelder, the Moravian 
apostle to the Indians, has suggested how we should 
judge the red man; he said, ''Often I have listened to 
these descriptions of their hard sufferings, until I felt 
ashamed of being a white man." 

The Indian known to the missionaries of Pennsyl- 
vania had sincere religious feelings. An old Delaware 
once said that it had always been the custom of his 
fathers to climb upon a high mountain to thank the 
Great Manitou (spirit) for all his benefits, and to ask that 
they continue. They felt sure that the prayers wTre 
heard. They were very hospitable, and expected hos- 
pitality in return. Some traveling Delawares once put 



THE INDIANS OF PENNSYLVANIA 11 

their horses in a meadow of fine grass without permis- 
sion, and when taken to account repHed, "Can you 
make the grass grow? The Great Manitou makes it 
grow, both for your horses and for ours." 

Civihty was a marked trait in their character. A 
"good-morning, father," "grandfather," "uncle," and 
so on down to a small grandchild, was the common form 
of address. Even the children saluted one another 
affectionately and respectfully. Quarrels were avoided. 
Fighting, they said, is only for dogs and other beasts. 
It was a rare thing to hear of murder among them in the 
days before the settlement of Pennsylvania. This we 
know from reliable and well-informed Indians who 
helped to build the first houses in Philadelphia. 

The sense of wit was rare among the Indians, yet we 
hear of some sharp sayings. The Delawares compared 
the European nations in America to a pair of scissors, 
which cut what comes between them; they said, "The 
Europeans do not want to destroy themselves in their 
wars, but us poor Indians that are between them." 

In their aboriginal state they were not vain; but they 
possessed a high-minded pride that was sometimes 
heroic. A white prisoner taken at Fort Mcintosh (now 
Beaver) and carried into Ohio, was condemned to die at 
the stake. Two English traders, acquainted with the 
Indian's personal pride, said to the chief, "Among all 
the chiefs there is none to equal you in greatness." "Do 
you really believe what you say?" asked the chief, in 
childish simpHcity. "Indeed we do." Then the chief 
rushed through the crowd, cut the cords around the 




■ri 

Z 

< 

5 
z 



12 



THE INDIANS OF PENNSYLVANIA 13 

prisoner, and set him free. Before the astonishment was 
over, the prisoner was out of sigiit. 

The dark side. The Indian, hke every other savage 
race, had a dark side to his character. His name be- 
came a synonym for revenge and cruelty. But are we in 
a position to "cast the first stone"? Our estimate of his 
character has been made by white men. Few men ex- 
cept the missionaries told the Indian's side of a long, 
cruel story. Columbus, the hrst white man to know the 
red men, said that ''they love their neighbors as them- 
selves." The original Indians were not beasts of prey; 
they were driven to this condition by the Europeans. 

An important cause of the change in Indian character 
was drunkenness. When Henry Hudson and his sailors 
first offered whiskey to the Mohicans on Manhattan 
Island (now New York City), it was passed around as if 
they had been taught the lesson — " touch not, taste not, 
handle not." Ikit they soon grew eager for " fire water." 
The thoughtful Indians of a century or two ago well 
knew whom to blame for their drunkenness. A mis- 
sionary once asked an Indian at Pittsburg who he was. 
He answered, ''My name is Black Fish; when I am at 
home with my people, I am a clever fellow, but here I 
am a hog." William Penn in his letter to the Free So- 
ciety of Traders in London says, "Since the Europeans 
came into these parts, the Indians are grown great lovers 
of strong liquors, rum especially, and for it exchange 
the richest of their skins and furs." Surprise was often 
expressed by these simple children of the forest that a 
people who believed in the Great Spirit, who claimed to 



14 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

have his own word in their houses, could make a Hquor 
to bewitch and to destroy one another. Alter English 
traders, soon after Penn's death, went among the In- 
dians of the Juniata and the Susquehanna valleys, con- 
stant complaints were made about the sale of rum to 
their people. 

Laws and treaties. The Indians had no laws, except 
a few im written rules of justice and courtesy, which 
were enforced by the chiefs and their counsellors. Wam- 
pum, which consisted of beads made from shells, served 



JM^tttM.tttUetMUntCULtUUUiUllULMtUUC I .ItMIMMllMMIMlMttMfOtlt 
lllltUltltuiltUllfUtuttuUCckuuiataltEUtit cr-- 




Wampum Received by Penn from the Indians 

as money to the Indians, and was necessary to carry 
into effect an order of the chief. Imi)ortant transactions 
were ratihed by strings and belts of wampum. Black 
wampum signified war; white wampum meant peace, 
friendship, and good-will. The pipe of })eace, which 
was made of l)lack or red stone, had to b(^ whitened be- 
fore it was smoked as a sign of peace. 

To koc]) tr(^ati(>s fresh in the memory, the Indian chiefs 
met occasionally at some chosen spot in the forest and 
rehearsed them. Between the years 1770 and 1780, the 
Delawares could relate very minutely what had passed 



THE INDIANS OF PENNSYLVANIA 15 

between William Penn and their forefathers years be- 
fore. On such occasions the Indians sat around a chest, 
from which they took one string or belt of wampum after 
another. They handed the wampum to every person 
present, and repeated the words spoken when it was 
originally delivered. 

Education. The Indians had no schools. The parents 
taught, the children, and the first lessons were about the 
Great Spirit and about duties to parents and elders. 
Reading and writing were unknown to them, but the 
Iroquois and the Delawares understood a little counting. 
The position of the sun served to show the time of day; 
and the stages of the corn showed the season of the year. 

Indian names. The name of a child, as a rule, was 
given by the father, who generally selected that of some 
animal. Other names were frequently added. An In- 
dian who wore torn or patched shoes was called Bad 
Shoes; one who had large eyes was Great Eye. To the 
white men the Indians gave descriptive names of their 
own. When the Delawares had learned the meaning of 
Penn's name, they at once called him Miquon, meaning 
feather or quill. The Iroquois called him Onas, for the 
same reason. Ingenious compounds were invented; for 
example, the name for Philadelphia was Quequenaku, 
''the grove of the long pine trees." 

Occupations. Hunting was considered the most 
honorable occupation. The Delawares early trained 
their boys to run so fast as to overtake a deer, and to 
shoot small fishes with bows and arrows. Besides meat 
and fishj the oyster, the land-tortoise, and the locust 



16 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

were used for food. Vegetables of various kinds were 
raised. Maize was one of tlieir chief foods. They planted 
it after the hazelnut was in bloom, to make sure it would 
not be killed by frost. The shoulder blade of a deer or the 
shell of a tortoise was used for hoeing — a work that fell to 
the women. 

Amusements. Dancing and singing were the Indian's 
amusement, though he indulged in them for other pur- 
poses. He made a grotesque performance of it, and 
ended with a disagreeable yell. The war dance was in- 
tended to terrify, not to please. It was performed around 
a painted post, and the dancers went through all the 
motions and actions of battle. After a victory, a dance 
of thanksgiving was performed. It was religious in its 
nature. 



CHAPTER II 

THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 

The Dutch 

The first explorers. The first Europeans to dwell 
on the banks of the Delaware came from Holland. 
Henry Hudson, the English explorer in the Dutch 
service, in 1609 set sail from Holland in the Half Moon, 
hoping to reach China by way of the northeast. Fogs 
and ice made him cluinge his course. He touched the 
mouth of ''a great bay," which was afterward named 
Delaware Bay in honor of Lord Delaware, who entered 
it the next year. Hudson spent one day on its waters, 
and then sailing north, discovered the river which bears 
his name. He reijorted his discoveries to the people 
in Holland, and five vessels were sent from Amsterdam 
to America in 1614. Four of them made explorations 
around Manhattan and to the eastward. The other 
vessel, under command of Captain Mey, went south 
and reached Delaware Bay. 

The vessels all returned to Holland except the Unrest, 
which had been built on the Hudson River to take the 
place of one that had been burned. Its commander. 
Captain Hendrickson, in 1616 explored the Delaware 
more carefully, ascending it as far north as the mouth 
of the Schuylkill River, which he discovered. On his 
2 17 



18 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

arrival home he gave a glowing account of the land' 
of the Delaware, describing it as a vast forest which 
abounded in bucks and does, turkeys and partridges; 
the climate was temperate, and the trees were mantled 
by the. vine. 

First settlements on the Delaware. In the spring of 
1623 Captain Mey sailed for Delaware Bay with a party 
of colonists sent out by the Dutch West India Company. 
Passing the cape bearing his name, he ascended the 
river fifty miles, and on the eastern shore erected 
Fort Nassau, near the present site of Gloucester. This 
was the first European settlement on the banks of the 
Delaware. 

On the west side of the river, an association of pa- 
troons in Amsterdam in 1030 bought land from the 
Indians. A settlement of some thirty people — the first 
in Delaware and older than any in Pennsylvania — 
was made the next year on Lewes Creek. It was named 
Swaannendael. A petty quarrel about a piece of tin 
arose between the commander of the fort here and the 
Indians, and the settlers w^ere all murdered by the sav- 
ages. Not even the faithful watchdog escaped. 

A Dutch settlement in Pennsylvania. There is some 
evidence, too, of a very early Dutch settlement on the 
soil of Pennsylvania. It is thought that a company of 
miners from Holland made their way from Esopus 
(now Kingston) on the Hudson to the Delaware below 
Milford, and settled within the present hmits of Mon- 
roe and Pike counties, principally on the site of Shawnee. 
There are accounts of "mine-holes" near the Blue 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 19 

Mountains, and of a ''mine- road" a hundred miles long. 
On this road, it is said, the Hollanders of the Minisink 
Flats took their wheat and cider to Esopus on the Hud- 
son as late as 1730, without knowing anything about 
Philadelphia. Large orchards of "ai)ple trees far be- 
yond the size of any near Philadelphia" were reported 
to have been seen by some public surveyors about fifty 
years after the settlement of Pennsylvania. 

The Swedes 

A permanent settlement in New Sweden. Before the 
Dutch could recover the soil of Delaware from the In- 
dians, a European rival appeared. The king of Sweden 
in 1626 granted a charter to a Swedish AVest India Com- 
pany. The charter expressed much love for humanity. 
All oppressed Christendom was to have a refuge in the 
New World. The colony was to be ''the jewel of the 
kingdom." There were no immediate results, but 
twelve years later the Swedes made the first permanent 
settlement on the Delaware. 

Peter Minuit, a German, offered his services to the 
Swedes, and took out the first colony. In 1638 he landed 
his little company of Swedes and Finns near Lewes, 
Delaware. A fort was erected near the mouth of the 
creek, and both fort and creek were named Christina, 
in honor of the little girl who had succeeded her father 
on the throne of Sweden. The country itself was named 
New Sweden. All the lands from Cape Henlopen to the 
Falls of Trenton were purchased from the Indians, and 
stakes and marks were put up. The Dutch protested, 



20 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

but without effect. The enthusiastic Scandinavians ex- 
tended tlieir plantations and their trade with the In- 
dians, and exported thousands of skins the first year. 

Swedish settlers in Pennsylvania. AMien Printz, the 
third governor of New Sweden, anived in 1643, he 
selected as a place of residence and defense the island 
of Tinicum, now Tinicum township, Delaware County, a 
few miles below Philadelphia. This settlement, which 
w^as named New Gottenberg, was the first European 
settlement in Pennsylvania of which there is positive 
knowledge. There had been a few English families, 
Londoners, who had found the soil of Connecticut too 
stubborn and had settled on the Schuylkill, but they 
either left or submitted to Swedish rule. 

Dutch control. It now became evident to the Dutch 
on the Hudson that the Swedes on the Delaware were 
becoming dangerous rivals. Stuyvesant, the governor 
of New Netherlands (later New York), was ordered to 
''drive the Swedes from the Delaware or compel their 
submission." In 1655 he forced the Swedish colonists 
to surrender to him. The whole territory from Cape 
Henlopen to the Falls of Trenton passed under the rule 
of the Dutch. 

English control. In 1664 all this territory, together 
with New Netherlands, was taken by the Duke of York, 
to whom the king of England had granted it. The 
Dutch settlers at this time were grouped around New 
Castle and Lewiston; the Swedes and Finns dwelt at 
Christina Creek, at Upland (Chester), and about the 
present site of Philadelphia. These settlements re- 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 21 



mained in possession of the Duke of York until he 
granted them to Wilham Penn. After that, the settle- 
ments included in the state of Delaware became known 
as the three Lower Counties or the Territories of Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Swedish footprints. The Swedes left some interesting 
footprints in the history of the state. In the first group 
of settlers from Sweden many criminals had been sent, 
but during Printz's administration this practice was for- 
bidden, "lest Almighty God should let his vengeance 
fall on the ships and 
goods and the virtu- 
ous people that were 
on board." However, 
there were also many 
virtuous and industri- 
ous Swedes, who are 
proudly remembered in 
Bucks, Montgomery, 
Delaware, and Phila- 
delphia counties as the 
first white men to culti- 
vate the soil. They were a religious people. Their first 
church was built on Tinicum Island, and was dedicated 
in 1646. There the first marriage between Europeans in 
Pennsylvania is supposed to have been solemnized— that 
of Governor Printz's daughter, in 1644. In Philadelphia 
the Gloria Dei, or Swedes' Church, stands as a monu- 
ment to the historic church at Wicaco, which was built 
for the use of the inhabitants of Passyunk and beyond. 




Old Swedish Houses in Phila- 
delphia 



22 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

about the year 1669, not far from the site of the navy 
yard. It had loopholes through which guns might be 
fired, so that it could be used as a place of safety against 
the Indians or other enemies. An old poem says: 

As once, for fear of Indian beating, 
Our grandsires bore their guns to meeting, 
Each man equipped, on Sunday morn, 
With psalm-book, shot, and powder horn. 

The English 

The first Quaker settlement. After the territory on 
the Delaware had passed into the hands of the English, 
Governor Andros, who represented the Duke of York in 
America, made numerous grants of these lands. The 
first permanent English settlement in Pennsylvania was 
made at this period by some Quakers. They had come 
from England with fourteen of their brethren who 
colonized West Jersey, and they settled near the Lower 
Falls, on land afterward in Bucks County. They had 
become so well established by the time William Penn 
founded his colony that he thought of locating his capital 
at Pennsbury or Bristol. Through correspondence he 
learned that "the Indian country on the west side of the 
Delaware is most beautiful to look upon, that it only 
wanted a wise people to render it, like the ancient 
Canaan, 'the glory of the earth.'" 

Penn*s motives in founding the colony. Three things 
moved Penn to plant a colony in the New World. First, 
he would get payment for the debt of about $80,000 due 
his father as an officer of the British navy. Secondly, he 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 23 

would (incl a i)lace for his brethren, the Quakers, where 
they would not be insulted in the streets, dragged from 
their meetinghouses to jails, and robbed of their last bed 
or their last cow to pay fines for not attending the estab- 
lished church. And in the third place, he would satisfy 
the desire which the enthusiastic accounts of the breth- 
ren in West Jersey had created in him. 

Penn's wish to help the Quakers, or Friends, was by 
far the strongest motive. Penn himself had been tried 
for preaching to ''an unlawful, seditious, and riotous 
assembly." The first verdict was "Guilty of speaking 
in Grace-church street." This verdict was brought in 
repeatedly, in spite of the judge's threats to starve the 
jury if they did not say "Guilty" or "Not Guilty." 
Finally the verdict of "Not Guilty" was given, where- 
upon the judge fined each of the jurors forty marks and 
imprisonment till paid, because they had followed their 
"own judgment" rather than the "good advice" given 
them by him. Penn also was fined for having his hat 
on in the presence of the court. William Penn and his 
people enjoyed neither religious nor civil liberty in Eng- 
land. Other religious sects in England and on the Con- 
tinent had similar difficulties. Penn wished to open a 
new country where all mankind, without distinction of 
sect or party, could find peace. Here are his own words 
concerning his purposes: 

And, because I have been somewhat exercised, at times, 
about the nature and end of government, it is reasonable to ex- 
pect, that I should endeavor to establish a just and righteous 
one, that others may take example by it ; — truly, this my heart 



24 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

desires. ... I do, therefore, desire the Lord's wisdom to guide 
me, and those that may be concerned \\ith me, that we do the 
thing that is truly wise and just. 

With this high object in view Penn, in 1680, peti- 
tioned King Charles II for a grant of land in America. 
The king agreed at once, because he could thus pay the 
debt he owed Penn. 

Name and boundaries of the province. The next year 
William Penn was made, by charter, proprietor and 
governor of the province of Pennsylvania. His choice of 
a name was New Wales; but the king insisted on Penn- 
sylvania, which means Penn's woods. Penn next pro- 
posed Sylvania, on the ground that the prefix Penn would 
appear like vanity on his part, and not as a mark of re- 
spect for his father; but his suggestion was not accepted. 
. The extent of the province was three degrees of lati- 
tude by five degrees of longitude, or about 45,000 square 
miles. The eastern boundary was the Delaware River, 
and- the northern was 'Hhe beginning of the three and 
fortieth degree of northern latitude, and on the south 
a circle drawn at twelve miles distance from New Castle, 
northward and westward into the beginning of the for- 
tieth degree of northern latitude, and then by a straight 
line westward to the limits of longitude above men- 
tioned." The three Lower Counties on the Delaware — 
Kent, Sussex, and the New Castle district — were not in- 
cluded in the charter. Penn secured these counties from 
the Duke of York the following year. 

The purchase from the Indians. Penn drew up a form 
of government and a code of laws, and sent his cousin. 



26 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

William Markham, to take possession of the country and 
to act as deputy governor. Markham arrived at Upland 
on the Delaware about July 1, 1()S1. Soon after his 
arrival the deputy governor was joined by three com- 
missioners who were sent to help him confer with the 
Indians about the sale of land and make a treaty of peace 
with them. The first purchase was made July 15, 1682. 
The tract extended along the Delaware from the mouth 
of the Neshaminy to the Blue Mountains. Markham 
paid for it as follows: 

350 ffathoms of Wampum, 20 white Blankits, 20 ffathoms of 
Strawed waters, 60 ffathoms of Duffields, 20 Kettles, 4 whereof 
large, 20 gunns, 20 coats, 40 shirts, 40 payre of Stockings, 40 
Howes, 40 Axes, 2 Barrels of Powder, 200 Barres of Lead, 200 
Knives, 200 small glasses, 12 payre of shoes, 40 Copper Boxes, 40 
Tobacco Tonngs, 2 small Barrels of Pipes, 40 j^ayre of Scissors, 
40 Combs, 24 pounds of Red Lead, 100 Aules, 2 handfulls of 
ffishhooks, 2 handfulls of Needles, 40 pounds of Shott, 10 Bundles 
of Beads, 10 small Saws, 12 Drawing Knives, 4 anchers of To- 
])acco, 2 anchers of Rumme, 2 anchers of Syder, 2 anchers of 
Beere and 300 Gilders. 

Markham also held some conferences with the Indians, 
simply to ]3romote peace and friendship. He read to 
them a letter from Fenn which said: 

I have great love and regard for you, and desire to win and 
gain your love and friendship by a kind, just and peaceable liffe; 
and the people I send are of the same mjnd, and shall in all 
things behave themselves accordingly. 

Penn's arrival in the colony. Penn took leave of his 
wife and children and went on board the good ship 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA . 27 

Welcome, September 1, 1682. The passengers numbered 
about one hundred, mostly Quakers who had been his 
neiglibors in Sussex, England. During the voyage about 
thirty died of smallpox. Penn greatly endeared hmi- 
self to the company by his kind and untiring efforts to 
aid the sick and dying. After six weeks, land was 
sighted on the coast of New Jersey, near Egg Harbor. 
As he jDassed up the Delaware, the Dutch and the 
Swedes, now his subjects, received him with great joy. 

Penn landed at New Castle, October 27. Here, the 
next day, he called the people together in the Dutch 
courthouse and took legal possession of the country, 
promising the inhabitants liberty of conscience and civil 
freedom. Two daj's later he w^nt to Upland, which he 
renamed Chester, and there he called the first General 
Assembly. 

Penn's treaty with the Indians. From Chester, Penn 
with a few others traveled u]) the Delaware in an open 
boat, in the early days of November, when the banks of 
the river were brilliant with autumn color. His mission 
was to meet the Indians and to ratify the Treaty of 
Eternal Fi'iendshij), which Markham and his associates 
had previously made. \Mien he ai'rived at Shackamaxon, 
the Indians had already filled the woods as far as the 
eye could see. After the chiefs had arranged themselves 
m the foiTn of a half-moon, Penn, with no mark of power 
save a blue sash, addressed them in the name of the 
Great Spirit, who made and rules all mankind: 

We meet on the broad pathway of good faith and good will; 
no advantage shall be taken on either side, but all shall be open- 



28 . A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

ness and love. I will not call you children, for parents chide their 
children too severely ; nor brothers only, for brothers differ. The 
friendship between me and you I will not compare to a chain ; for 
that the rains might rust or the falling tree might break. We are 
the same as if one man's body were to be divided into two parts; 
we are all one flesh and blood. 

After receiving presents from Penn, the Indians gave 
a belt of wampum and solemnly pledged themselves to 
live in love with him and his children as long as the sun 
and moon shall endure. "This/' says Voltaire, "was 
the only treaty between these people and the Christians 
that was made without an oath, and that was never 
broken." Penn had many other conferences of this kind 
with the Indians, and he was kindly remembered by 
them for years. One of them forty years afterward 
said: "We shall never forget the counsel that William 
Penn gave us; though we cannot write, as the English, 
yet we can keep in the memory what was said in our 
councils." So faithful were the Indians to him that not 
a drop of Quaker blood was shed by them while he lived. 

The Treaty Elm. The elm tree under which the treaty 
was made became famous. The British General Simcoe, 
who was once quartered near it in the Revolutionary 
War, so respected it that when his soldiers were cutting 
down trees for firewood, he placed a guard under it. A 
storm blew it down in 1810, and it was found to be two 
hundred and eighty- three years old. Its site, marked 
by a monument erected in 1827, is now surrounded by 
a beautiful park. The statue of William Penn on the 
tower of City Hall, Philadelphia, faces in the direction 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 29 

of the Elm in Kensington, and silently reminds Penn- 
sylvanians to be true to the principles of the founder. 

The Province organized. The first meeting of the 
General Assembly was held at Chester. During a three- 
days' session, the machinery of government was planned 
and put in operation; the Dutch, Swedes, and all other 
foreigners were made citizens; and the Province of 
Pennsylvania was thus organized. The "holy experi- 
ment, " as Penn called his new state, had begun. Hav- 
ing purchased some land from the natives, he made a 
survey of it, and divided it into three counties — Phila- 
delphia, Bucks, and Chester. The first was named after 
the city then building; the second after Buckingham- 
shire, the land of Penn's ancestors; and the third after 
his friend Pearson's native city. 

The location of Philadelphia. "The great town" in 
Pennsylvania was to be near the junction of the Delaware 
and the Schuylkill. The location was desirable because 
both rivers, especially the Delaware, were navigable. 
Brick-earth and building-stone were abundant and the 
surroundings were beautiful. These and other circum- 
stances led to the choice of a site near the Indian village 
of Quequenaku, ''the grove of the long pine trees." 

Its plan and name. With few exceptions, the streets 
of Philadelphia cross each other at right angles. Those 
originally running east and west — nine in number — 
were all named after the various kinds of trees in the 
forest around, as Vine, Spruce, Pine, Sassafras, Willow, 
Chestnut, Walnut, etc.; those running north and south — 
twenty- three altogether — were numbered. According to 



30 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



the plan there was to be in the center of the city a square 
of ten acres, each corner of which was to be reserved for 
public offices. In each quarter of the city there was to 
be another square of eight acres, to be used by the 
people. The city was named after a town in Lydia, 
Asia Minor, the seat of one of the seven early Christian 
churches. Philadelphia signifies brotherly love. 

The first houses in Philadelphia. Few of the settlers 
of Philadelphia had the time or the means to build 




William Penn's House 
Now in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia 

houses before the winter of 1682-83 set in. Many of 
them lived like conies, in caves dug under the high bluff 
on the river-front between Vine and AValnut streets. 
The next year nearly one hundred houses were built, 
sheltering more than five hundred inhabitants. Two 
years afterward six hundred houses had displaced the 
trees and thickets of the forest. The Swedes and the 
Indians were very kind to the infant colony, the former 
sharing their shelter and the latter their game. Some 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 31 

well-to-do settlers had brought with them houses in 
frame, tools, implements, and furniture, as well as food 
and clothes to last them for some time after their arri- 
val. The poorer classes had to put up mere huts, made 
from timber freshly cut in the forest. 

The country settlers. Not all of Penn's brethren set- 
tled in Philadelphia. Many, as they landed, distributed 
themselves through the country. They were thinly 
scattered from the Falls of Trenton to Chester. For- 
tunately for those who arrived in the hrst ships, the 
winter was mild and open, and they all cleared enough 
land to plant a crop of Indian corn in the spring. The 
following extract from a letter shows how the rural 
settlers fared: 

After our arrival we found the country a wilderness. The in- 
habitants were Indians and k^wedes, who received us in a friendly 
manner and brought us provisions at very reasonable rates. 
After some time, I set up a mill on Chester creek, which I brought 
ready framed from London, which served for grinding of corn and 
sawing of boards. Besides, I made a net and caught great quan- 
tities of fish, which supplied ourselves and many others; so that, 
not^\ithstanding, it was thought that nearly three thousand 
persons came in the first year, we were so providentially pro- 
vided for that we could buy a deer for two shillings, and a large 
turkey for one shilling, and Indian corn for two shillings and six- 
pence a bushel. 

Penn's return to England. The province having been 
founded, Penn, in August, 1684, sailed for England, with 
this parting prayer upon his lips: "And thou, Phila- 
delphia, the virgin settlement of this province, my soul 



32 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



prays to God fur thee, that thou inayest stand in the day 
of trial and that thy children may be blessed." His 
family, his estate, and certain matters pertaining to 
his colony kept him in England till 1699. 

Penn's second visit. When he returned to his province 
in tliat year, Philadelphia had more than two thousand 
houses; and he walked the streets al- 
most a stranger. However, he was 
warmly welcomed by the Indians. He 
made two journeys at this time to the 
interior of the province. In October, 
1701, he sailed for England, where a 
riotous son and an unfaithful steward 
had plunged him so deeply into debt 
that he had to mortgage his province 
and suffer imprisonment besides. He 
never visited his colony again. He 
Penn's Clock ^^i^d in 1718, but his name will live as 
Now in the Phila- long as the history of Pennsylvania is 

delphia Library l^i^Q^yn. 

Characteristics of the Friends. The most numerous 
settlers of Penn's colony were, as we have seen, the 
Quakers or Friends. The Friends opposed all forms of 
display, then very common among the upper classes in 
England. They chose drab as their color because it 
differed least from the uncolored state of cloth. They 
respected all honorable occupations alike. William Penn 
wanted his children to become husbandmen and house- 
wives, and one of his sons learned the trade of a linen 
draper. Laborers were not looked upon as drudges. 




THE SETTLEMExNT OF PENNSYLVANIA 33 



The Friends, as early as 1()93, advised that none should 
"l)uy slaves except to free." Not far from Frankford 
was an old tombstone, the inscription on which says 
that the occupant of the grave, Friend Sandiford, '' bore 
testimony against the Negro trade." 







Christ Church, Philadelphia 

Other English settlers. The chief immigration of the 

Friends took place before the year 1700. Other English 

settlers, however, had found their way to Pennsylvania. 

Chief among these were the Episcopalians, or people of 

3 



34 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

the Church of England, .some of whom arrived .soon after 
Penn. Christ Church in Philadeljihia, with its first bell 
hung in the crotch of a tree, wa.s built by them on Second 
Street, north of Market Street. The present brick build- 
ing, so full of historic interest, was begun in 1727 and 
comjjleted in 1755. Benjamin Franklin was one of the 
managers of the lottery (a method (juite common in 
those days for raising church funds) by which money 
was secured for the steeple and the chimes. On July 4, 
1776, these chimes, the .second in America, joined the 
old bell on Independence Hall in proclaiming "liberty 
throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." 

The Germans 

The Mennonites. As William Penn offered Religious 
liberty to all who WTre under oppres.sion, Pennsylvania 
was "an asylum to the good and oppressed of every na- 
tion." The Germans, after the Friends, were the first to 
become interested in his "holy experiment." Penn, 
whose mother was a Dutch woman, had twice been trav- 
eling and preaching in Holland and Germany. There he 
made many devoted friends in various denominations, 
and was received with special kindness by the Mennon- 
ites. These people, like the Friends, never used the 
sword, never took an oath, and were plain in dress and 
speech and simple in manners. A.s they were so much 
alike in their way of thinking and living, it was not 
strange that the two sects became neighbors in the wilds 
of x\merica. The Mennonites had been j)ersecuted and 
were glad to find peace in Penn's colony. 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 35 

Germantown settled. On August 20, i(JcS;j, a distin- 
guished man joined the colony — Francis Daniel Pasto- 
rius. Like many of the settlers, he dwelt for a time in a 
cave. He was a great scholar. He had mastered seven 
or eight languages and was well read in science and 
philosoi)hy. On October G, in tlie ship Concord, with 
passports written on parchment in golden ink, thirteen 
families of Mennonites from the Rhine, just outside of 
Holland, landed at Philadelphia. With these Pastorius 
founded Germantown. Fourteen divisions of land were 
measured off, and the German pioneers repaired to his 
cave to draw lots for the choice of location. Cellars were 
at once dug and huts were built. William Penn was 
present when the first two-story house was erected, and 
helped to eat the raising dinner. Other immigrants be- 
gan to arrive in the little town soon afterward. 

The early dwellers of Germantown had a hard struggle 
with poverty. Pastorius tells us that the settlement was 
so poor that it became the subject of a pun and was 
called Armentown, Armen being the German word for 
poor. He said that it would not be believed by coming 
generations in what want, and with what Christian con- 
tentment and persistent industry, Germantown started. 
He himself had to use oiled paper to let the light into his 
house. At the end of the first year, the settlers had im- 
proved their condition materially: they had harvested a 
good crop of Indian corn and buckwheat, and had added 
a few comforts to their houses. 

Germantown, however, was not a settlement of farmers, 
but of weavers. Pastorius selected for the town seal a 



36 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



clover with a vine on one of its leaves, a stalk of flax on 
another, and a spool of thread on the third. The motto 
on it was " Vinum, Linum, et Textrinum " (meaning vine, 
flax, and thread). It was a place — 

Where lives High German and Low Dutch, 
Whose trade in weaving linen cloth is much. 
There grows the flax, as also you may know 
That from the same they do divide the tow. 

The Mennonites of Germantown enjoy one proud dis- 
tinction. They were the first people in America to sug- 
gest the abolition of slavery. In 1688, under the lead of 
Pastorius, they sent a petition to the yearly meeting of 
the Friends saying, in effect, that it was not a Christian 
act to buy and keep negroes. 

The Pietists. Germantown was the hul) of the German 
settlement in Pennsylvania for many years. In 1694 the 

Pietists, for whom Pastorius 

had formed a warm attachment 

111 J^^^&i^^ JL^. in Germany, settled on the 

Wissahickon. They were noted 
for their piety, learning, and 
mysticism. They spent much 
time in prayer and pious medi- 
tation, and for this purpose 
they had caves in the rugged 
ravine of the Wissahickon. 
They put up a building de- 

Slavery Protest WAS Signed ^.^.^^^^ ^^^ rehgioUS and educa- 
tional purposes, on the highest point of their land. It 
was surmounted with an observatory, the first in the 




The House in Which the 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 37 

province. On top of this was raised the mystic symbol 
—a cross within a circle— in such a position that the 
rays of the rising sun flooded it with a rosy hght. 
Later, in 1734, a massive stone structure was built 
farther up the stream; it is still known as the monastery 
on the Wissahickon. One of their associates, Christoph 
Saur, published a newspaper which circulated among all 
the Germans in the colonies, from New York to Georgia. 
He printed the German Bible as early as 1743, about 
forty years before the English Bible was printed in 

America. 

The Tunkers. Germantown also became the original 
home of the Tunkers, or German Baptists, in America; 
but they did not arrive until 1719. Christoph Saur, son 
of Christoph, the publisher, became an elder in this 
denomination. As the successor to his father's business, 
the son was a prominent man in the i)rovince. 

The Getman immigration. After 1700 German immi- 
gration to Pennsylvania was no longer confined to those 
who had been influenced by Penn's visit to the Continent. 
The English government now encouraged the Germans to 
come to America to add strength to its population. Large 
numbers of Germans crossed to England and were tem- 
porarily sheltered in tents on the commons of London 
while waiting for transportation to America. Pennsyl- 
vania was the favorite colony with the Germans, and by 
the year 1725 fifty thousand had made their way hither. 
Immigrants came from the German side of Switzerland 
and Holland, from Swabia, Alsace, and Saxony, but most 
from the Palatinate. 



38 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENXSYLVAXIA 

The Germans on the frontier. These later German 
settlers pressed out into the wilderness, and left Phila- 
delphia and the country around it to the English and 
to the Germans in and about Germantown. They filled 
the Lehigh and Schuylkill valleys, settling in Easton, 
Northamptontown (now Allentown), Reading, Lebanon, 
and Lancaster. Thence they pushed on to the Suscjue- 
hanna, down into the Cumberland \\alley, and up into 
the Juniata and Susquehanna valleys. The Germans 
who thus ])uslied into the wilderness were of various 
religious denominations. The Schwenkfelders settled 
on adjoining lands in Montgomery, Lehigh, and Berks, 
in 1734. Like the Friends, Mennonites, and Tunkers, 
they opposed war, oaths, and display. Their de- 
scendants live to-day in the same region, number- 
ing all told less than a thousand. They still cele- 
brate the anniversary of their arrival as a day of 
thanksgiving. 

The Moravians. The Moravians settled in Northamp- 
ton County, at Nazareth in 1739, and at Bethlehem in 
1741. Their leader was Count Zinzendorf, a man well 
known in Europe and America. The great work of the 
Moravians for the province was the conversion of 
Indians; but the results of this work were largely de- 
stroyed by the French and Inchan War. Much of what 
we know of Indian life in Pennsylvania was recorded by 
the Moravian missionaries, notal)ly by Heckewelder. 
The schools of this pious sect were widely known, and 
in them many girls and l)()ys from far and wide received 
their ('(hicnlion. 




THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 39 

Ephrata. A unique settlement was made at Ephrata, 
Lancaster County, by a branch of the Tunkers of 
Germantown or the Seventh Day Baptists. Some of 
its strange buildings are still standing. There was a 
house for the brothers and a house for the sisters, known 
as the Monastery of 
Ephrata. Among the 
numerous manufactur- 
ing industries was a 
printing house. Just 
before the battle of Ger- 
mantown, three wagon- 
loads of books in sheets Brothers' and Sisters' Houses at 
were seized there for Ephrata 

making cartridges. While the Continental Congress 
sat at York, this printing house struck off paper 
money for the government. The monastery at Ephrata 
was used as a hospital for American soldiers after the 
battle of the Brandywine. Peter Miller, second prior 
of the monastery, was one of the most learned men in 
America. He translated the Declaration of Independ- 
ence into seven languages by order of Congress. 

The Reformed and the Lutherans. Still other groups 
of German settlers were the Reformed and the Lutherans. 
They did not arrive in large numbers until about 1725. 
Some four hundred Reformed settled along the Skippack, 
in Montgomery County. Others followed, and before 
long the Reverend Michael Schlatter was able to organize 
the Reformed Church of Pennsylvania. The Lutherans 
were much more numerous. Their leader was Henry 



40 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Melclioir Muhlenberg. He was the father of IVter, the 
general of the Revolution; of Frederick, the first Speaker 
of the House of Representatives; and of Gotthilf, the 
botanist. Larger companies of Reformed and Lutherans 
had come to America before these leadei-s, but they had 
scattered through several counties in search of a place 
to work, and live, and their organization into congrega- 
tions w^as a difficult task. 

The Reformed and Lutherans made an effort to spread 
the English language among the Germans. Muhlenberg 
himself taught English, and was careful to have his sons 
educated in it before sencUng them to Germany. Schlat- 
ter, the leader of the Reformed, raised a fund in England, 
Holland, and Germany for teaching English to the 
Pennsylvania Germans. 

The Germans as farmers and fighters. In colonial 
days agriculture was the chief occupation. Then gov- 
ernors, lawmakers, and judges were farmers. Even in 
the early history of the Republic, ])residents, congress- 
men, and makers of constitutions were followers of the 
plow. In this occupation the Pennsylvania Germans 
excelled, and they therefore clung to the soil and to 
rural life. Tlu^y were good judges of land; they worked 
hard, and j)i'acticed economy. They cleared the land 
that had the heaviest timber, for they knew it would 
produce the liea\nest crops; and they often grew rich 
where others had become ])oor. TluMr farms were not 
surpassed anywhere in the world. Through their indus- 
try and economy they have i)roduced a large share of 
the wealth of the stale. 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 41 

In time of war they have hkewise dune tlieir thity. 
In 1775 they shared, with their Scotch-Irish neighbors 
on the frontiei", the honor of being among the first 
troops caUed by the Continental Congress — expert rifle- 
men from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. The 
rifle, which was then unknown in New England, had been 
brought to Pennsylvania by the Swiss and Palatines, 
about 1700. 

The Welsh 

The location of the Welsh. The Welsh began to 
come in 1682, soon after the colony had been planted, 
but after 1700 few of these people joined the colony. 
Dr. Thomas AVynne, Penn's friend and physician, and 
a few other Welshmen came in the Welcome. These 
people settled on a large tract of land along the ridge 
extending back from the Schuylkill as far as Paoli. 
Their settlement was called the Welsh Barony; it has 
since been known as the Welsh Tract. As their number 
increased, they spread out into other places. Some went 
as far west as Lancaster County, and gave their name to 
the Welsh Mountains there; others located north of 
Philadelphia. Welsh names of two hundred years ago 
are preserved in various stations along the Pennsylvania 
Railroad, beginning with Berwyn. 

Their purpose. The Welsh, like the settlers of German- 
town, came to Pennsylvania to form a settlement in 
which they could regulate their own affairs. Most of 
them were Friends, and had knowai William Penn in Eng- 
land. Though at first they could not understand the 



42 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

English language, they soon adopted it. Nearly all the 
early physicians of the colony were Welshmen. George 
Washington's physician was the great-grandson of 
Penn's physician. 

Welsh names. Most names of the Welsh settlers 
have taken English forms. Thus, ap John {ap meaning 
son of) became John's (son) or Jones; ap Edward, 
Edwards; ap William, Williams; ap Robert, Roberts; 
ap Hugh became Pugh; and ap Howell, Powell. 

The Scotch-Irish 

Their location. The Scotch-Irish were people from 
Scotland who had gone to Ireland to occupy tlie lands 
taken from Irish people by Queen Elizabeth and James I. 
In religion they were Presbyterians, and by occupation, 
farmers. They were drawn to Pennsylvania by its 
fame for religious liberty and fertility of soil. They 
began to arrive soon after 17()(), and the earliest comers 
settled in the lower part of Chester and Lancaster 
counties. About 1720 the settlement containing the 
famous Log College was made on the Neshaminy River 
in Bucks County. Another body located at the Forks 
of the Delaware, in Northampton County. Donegal in 
Lancaster County and Paxtang, Derry, and Hanover 
in Dauphin County, were Scotch-Irish localities at one 
time; but the Cumberland Valley received the greatest 
luunber of these peo])le. 

The officials of the ])rovince encouraged the Germans 
to locate in the eastein ])arts and the Scotch-Irish to go 
westward. This lu'rangement was a good one, for the 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 43 

Scotch-Irish were the very men to face the wilderness 
and resist the attacks of wild beasts and savages. 

Relations with the Indians. As pioneers, theii con- 
duct toward the Indians was as warlike as that of the 
Quakers had been peaceful. The experience of their 
forefathers in Ireland was a good school for frontier life. 
The Indians had now been driven farther and farther 
west, and peace was hard to keep. When the French 
and Indian War broke out, the Scotch-Irish settlers on 
the frontier had to face many a fatal attack. 

The Paxtang Boys. At the opening of Pontiac's 
War in 1763, the Reverend John Elder of the Paxtang 
church in Dauphin County organized several companies 
of rangers, known as the Paxtang Boys, to protect the 
settlers against the Indians. Along the Susquehanna 
south of the Blue Mountains some Indians committed 
deed after deed of bloody violence; but where they came 
from was a mystery. Suspicion rested on certain Indi- 
ans who lived near Columbia. The governor was asked 
to remove these Indians. He dechned to do this, on the 
ground that they were "innocent, helpless, and depend- 
ent on the government for support." 

The Paxtang Boys then resolved to take the law into 
their own hands, against the wishes of Colonel Elder. 
They went to the settlement at night, but their presence 
was announced by the dogs. The Indians rushed out of 
the wigwams, swinging their tomahawks. The rangers 
leveled their guns and quickly killed the Indians. But 
not all were at home, and when the absent Indians 
learned of the fate of their brethren, they hastened to 



44 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Lancaster and sought safety in the jail. A few made 
their way to Philadelphia. The rangers resolved to 
complete their work. Tliey went to Lancaster, broke 
into the jail, and shot the fugitive Conestogas. After 
that, the settlers south of the Blue Mountains had little 
annoyance from the Indians. 

However, the end of the excitement had not 3^et come. 
The governor and the Assembly condemned the action 
of the Paxtang Boys so severely that the frontiersmen 
sent a delegation to explain theii' grievances. This 
looked like a show of force. The authorities in Phila- 
delphia put the Indian refugees under guard in the 
garrison, and sent an armed force to Germantown to 
meet the delegation. The Paxtang Boys stated their 
case, and were then conducted to Philadelphia. They 
were put on trial for the killing of the Conestoga Indians, 
but were never found guilty. 

The Scotch-Irish as soldiers. The hardshi})s and 
dangers which the Scotch-Irish endured on the frontier 
gave them grit and strength; when the Revolution came, 
they were ready and eager for the struggle. The French 
and Indian War had been an excellent school for drilling 
the Revolutionary soldiers; none were better drilled 
than the Scotch-Irish of Pennsylvania — a fact well known 
to the Continental Congress in 1775. 

The French Huguenots 

The French settlement. Pennsylvania became a ref- 
uge foi" a mmiber of French families of the persecuted 
Huguenots. They came here, under the influence of 



THE SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA 45 

William Peiin, to plant vineyards and cultivate grapes 
"up the Schuylkill." Not succeeding there, they re- 
moved to the Pequea Valley, then in Chester County, 
now in Lancaster. To this place all the French people 
went for settlement. They were heartily welcomed by 
the Delaware Indians there, and when the chief of these 
Indians died, the Huguenots attended the burial. At 
his grave, on Lafayette Hill near Paradise, was placed 
a pile of stones which long remained to mark the spot. 
The descendants of these French families are found 
chiefly in Berks, Lancaster, and Dauphin counties. 

Nationalities disappear. Though the settlers of Penn- 
sylvania were of various sects, churches, and nationali- 
ties, which at times had cjuarrels, we, their heirs and 
descendants, know no such differences in the discliarge 
of our duties to the government. We are all Pennsyl- 
vanians now; and the question whether a citizen is Eng- 
lish, German, Welsh, Scotch-Irish, or French, happily 
never enters our mind. With us to-day it is — 

The union of hearts, the union of hands, 
And the flag of our Union forever. 



CHAPTER III 

THE GROWTH OF POPULATION AND THE ADJUST- 
MENT OF BOUNDARIES 

The movement of population. In the settlement of 
Pennsylvania a double wave of population swept in: 
the Scotch-Irish in advance, and the Germans following 
and permanently occupying the soil. This movement 
is most plainly recorded in the Kittatinny Valley. 
Throughout its length, from Easton to Maryland, are 
found places and gravestones bearing Scotch-Irish names. 
These people entered the Kittatinny Valley at various 
points, about the year 1730. They passed through the 
gaps west of the Susquehanna. Thence they rapidly 
followed the main streams toward the north and west. 
The Germans began to arrive in greatest numbers about 
the year 1740, the time when the Scotch-Irish immigra- 
tion had reached its height. It was the onward flow of 
these two classes of people that caused a demand for 
land, and made the purchases from the Indians neces- 
sary. Easton, Allentown (called Northamptontown till 
about 1800), Reading, Lebanon, Harrisburg, York, 
Carlisle, and Shippensburg were all founded within these 
years. 

Land purchases. Penn's policy in ]3urchasing lands 
from the Indians was always an honest one. His sons 

46 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 47 

tried to follow their father's example, but they had to 
deal with a more difficult problem. They had to satisfy 
the I'ed man when it had become plain that the white 
man would at last own all the soil of Pennsylvania. 
Hence some of the later land dealings were not free from 
injustice. This was the case with the historic ''walk- 
ing purchase." 

The "walking purchase." It was the custom of the 
Indians to measure land by walking or riding on horse- 
back. In 1()S0 William Penn bought a tract of land 
along the Delaware, extending "back into the woods as 
far as man can go in one day and a half." This tract 
was not actually measured off at that time. As the 
years went by, the white settlers spread out until they 
reached the Lehigh hills, below Easton. The Indians 
then became uneasy, and wanted the walk performed. 
The time fixed for it was September 19, 1737; and the 
starting point was a tree near Wrightstown, Bucks 
County. The goverimient had employed three men, 
Marshall, Yeates, and Jennings — all fleet on foot; and 
the Delaware Indians had three men. The walkers were 
under the supervision of the sheriff of Bucks County and 
the surveyor general of Pennsylvania, and were accom- 
panied by a number of spectators, some of whom carried 
refreshments. 

The walkers kept a northerly course on the Durham 
Road to Durham Creek, thence a northwesterly course; 
they forded the Lehigh at two o'clock in the afternoon, 
and reached the Hockendauqua at sunset. Jennings and 
two of the Indians had given out the first day; hence the 



48 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

others resumed the walk alone the next morning. Hav- 
ing passed through the Lehigh Water Gap, Marshall, the 
only one who finished the walk, reached a spur of the 
Broad Mountain at twelve o'clock. The distance cov- 
ered in the day and a half was about sixty miles. 

Instead of running the shortest line from the end of 
the walk to the Delaware, the surveyor went northeast 
and struck the mouth of the Lackawaxen, thus securing 
for the province the Forks of the Delaware on the south 
side of the Blue Mountains, and the Minisink Flats on 
the north side — both rich and desirable tracts of land. 
The entire 'Svalking purchase" included the upper 
portion of Bucks, nearly all of Northampton, and parts 
of Carbon, Monroe, and Pike counties — an area of not less 
than twelve hundred square miles. 

The Delawares complained that the walk was not 
fair — that instead of by the compass across the country, 
it should have been up the Delaware by the nearest path, 
as was done by William Penn and their fathers when 
they tramped leisurely together for a day and a half 
to fix upon the northern limit of Markham's purchase of 
1682. The Indians in the party also objected to the pace 
of the white walkers, frequently calling to the latter to 
walk not to run. One of them said afterwards, ''No sit 
down to smoke, no shoot a scfuirrel, but lim, lun, Inn, 
all day long." It is stated that it afterward took the 
surveyor general four days to walk over the same ground. 
Jennings and Yeates both were supposed to have died 
from the effects of the walk. Marshall alone was none 
the worse, for he died at the ripe old age of ninety. 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 49 

The Delaware Indians. At the time of the "walkino; 
purchase," the Delaware Indians held their council hres 
at the Minisink Flats. Here, on the Pocono, was born 
the celebrated chief, Tedyuscung, called "Honest John" 
by the English. When his lands had l)een taken from 
him by the "walk," the Six Nations ordered the Dela- 
wares to remove to Wyoming and Shamokin (now Sun- 
bury) on the Susquehanna. The Six Nations reminded 
the Delawares that they were "women," and coidd not 
sell lands. Tedyuscung protested; but the Irocjuois said, 
"Don't stop to consider, but remove away." Tlie wrong 
rankled in the hearts of the Delawares like a smothered 
fire; and when the French and Indian W'ar broke out, 
they openly took sides with the French, and helped to 
ravage the frontier. By the time of the Revolution, 
they had all been driven to the Ohio River. 

Connecticut settlers in Wyoming Valley. While Penn- 
sylvanians were thus ])rcssing forward from the south- 
east through the Delaware and Lehigh valleys. New Eng- 
landers advanced from the northeast. The Connecticut 
colony claimed the land across the northern border of 
Pennsylvania. This tract had, in fact, been given to both 
colonies. 

Near the close of the French and Indian War, some 
Connecticut settlers arrived in the Wyoming Valley; 
and before winter set in, extensive fields of wheat had 
been sow^n upon lands covered with forest trees in Au- 
gust. But on account of a scarcity of provisions, the 
settlers returned to Connecticut for the winter. Early 
the next year, in 1763, they came back, accompanied by 
4 



50 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

many others. In spite of objections made by Northamp- 
ton County, which then inchided the Wyoming Vahey, 
these New Englanders settled at the present site of 
Wilkes-Barre, Kingston, Plymouth, and Hanover. 

The summer passed with nothing to mar their peace 
and contentment; but in October the Indians fell upon 
them like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, and killed 
about twenty of their number. The others fled — some 
back to Connecticut, some to New York. This is 
known in history as the hrst massacre of Wyoming. 
It was the work of the Delawares, in revenge for the 
death of their chief, Tedyuscung; for the wily Iroquois 
had made them believe that he had been killed by the 
whites. 

Strife in Wyoming. In 17(38 settlers came from the 
Pennsylvania settlements to the south and occupied the 
farms given up by the New Englanders. Early the next 
year a party of forty Connecticut men came back to 
their former settlement. They located at Kingston. 
The ''forty" were under the direction of three men, one 
of whom was Zebulon Butler; and their fort was known 
as the Forty Fort. In October the sheriff of North- 
ampton County appeared, arrested them, and marched 
them to Easton, where they were lodged in jail. As soon 
as they had been bailed out, they returned to Wyoming 
and, wdth new arrivals from Connecticut, again started 
the settlement. The Pennsylvanians and the New Eng- 
landers now met in a fierce conflict, known as the Pen- 
namite and Yankee War. Forts and blockhouses were 
constructed, and many sieges and skirmishes followed. 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 51 

Both parties led men to prison, drove women and chil- 
dren away, and committed other outrages. 

The Connecticut men on the whole were the more 
successful. They organized a government, made laws, 
and appointed judges and other officers. Their inten- 
tion was to form an independent state; but they could 
not maintain themselves alone against the Pennamites. 
So in 1774 they attached themselves to the Connecticut 
colony, as the town of Westmoreland. 

Wyoming confirmed to Pennsylvania. W ith the out- 
break of the Revolution there came a lull in the strife 
in Wyoming. It was resolved at a public meeting 
"That we will all join our brethren of America in the 
common cause of defending our liberty." However, as 
soon as the war was over, the old feud broke out in all its 
former fury. Pennsylvania now appealed to Congress to 
settle the dispute. That body appointed a committee 
for the purpose. It met at Trenton in 1782, and without 
giving any reasons decided that Connecticut had no 
right to the land and that it all belonged to Pennsylvania. 
The Connecticut settlers had to pay a small price per 
acre in order to keep their lands. The Pennsylvanians 
who claimed these same lands were paid for the farms 
they had to give up, or were given land elsewhere in 
exchange. 

After the settlement of this land trouble, the Wyoming 
Valley, which is twenty-one miles long and three miles 
wide, enjoyed peace. Its rich acres blossomed as the 
rose. Wilkes-Barre was laid out in 1773 and was named 
in honor of John Wilkes and Colonel Barre, members of 



52 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

the British Parhanient and warm friends of the American 
colonies in the Revohition. 

The upper Schuylkill. With the exception of the Dutch 
on the Minisink Flats, the Moravian mission station 
near the Lehigh, and a few scattered farms on the 
Schuylkill, there were no settlements, before the Revolu- 
tion, between the Wyoming Valley and the Blue Moun- 
tains. This tract was not much inhabited until after the 
discovery of anthracite coal. 

The Susquehanna Valley. The settlement of the Sus- 
quehanna Valley was begun by John Harris, father of 
John Harris, the founder of Harrisburg and the first 
white child known to have been born in Pennsylvania 
west of the Conewago hiUs. The elder Harris came from 
England in the early days, and in 1705 got permission as 
a hcensed trader ''to seat himself on the Susquehanna" 
and to trade with the Indians. 

Before the white men came as far as Shamokin (now 
Sunbury) this part of the province had been occupied 
by the Delawares and Shawanese, under the control of 
the Six Nations. They had a town of some fifty houses 
at the fork of the two branches of the Susquehanna. It 
was the residence of Shikellimy, the celebrated Oneida 
chief, who was deputy governor of the Six Nations in 
Pennsylvania. About 1740 Conrad AVeiser, the Indian 
agent of the province, visited the place, and Count Zinzen- 
dorf and one or two others made their way thither and re- 
ceived a hearty welcome from Shikellimy. The Indians 
there were rough, drunken, mischievous fellows. The 
Six Nations asked to have a blacksmith sent to Shamo- 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 53 

kin. One was sent by the Moravians at Bethlehem, 
and he opened the way for a Moravian mission. Soon 
afterward white settlers located in the valley below, on 
both sides of the river. 

Fort Augusta was erected at Shamokin to protect 
these settlers. This fort was an important place of 
defense in the French and Indian War and in the Revolu- 
tion. During the former war, few settlers ventured 
l)eyond it, for it was then the most northern fort in 
the Susquehanna Valley beyond the Blue Mountains. 
Northumberland had its beginnings in an inn put u}) to 
accommodate those who came to see the land. The 
North Branch beyond Bloomsburg was settled by men 
from the Wyoming Valley. Fort McClure, near Blooms- 
l)urg, was built by the famous Indian fighter, Van 
C'ampen. 

Along the West Branch, (Quakers from the lower 
countries settled Pennsborough, now Muncy, named after 
the Mousey Indians, who inhabited that section of the 
valley. From Sunbury to Lock Haven there was a line 
of forts, and each of them became the scene of many a 
legend of Indian warfare. Many Germans and Scotch- 
Irish found their way into the pine-clad mountains of 
this region. 

The fair-play settlement. The government had a 
dispute with the Indians aJDout the boundaries of this 
country along the West Branch and forbade settlers to 
enter the disputed tract, but they paid no attention to 
the order. They took possession of the land and organ- 
ized a local government, and annually elected as judges 



54 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

three of their number, whom they called "fair-play 
men." Every newcomer had to apply to the fair- 
play men for his land. Any person disobeying the 
fair-play men was placed in a canoe, rowed to the mouth 
of Lycoming Creek, and there set adrift. A curious 
thing happened in the history of these fair-play men on 
July 4, 1776. Early in the summer they had heard that 
C'Ongress was thinking about independence from Great 
Britain. So on the above date, far from the sound of 
the Liberty Bell, without knowing what was being done 
in Philadelphia, they met on Pine Creek, and after some 
patriotic speeches, passed a set of resolutions declaring 
themselves free and independent. 

Lycoming County. Lycoming County was not formed 
until 1795, eleven years after the last purchase from the 
Indians. It extended originally over all the northwestern 
part of the state. Williamsport was laid out soon after 
the formation of the county. It was named probably 
after William, a son of Michael Ross, upon whose land 
the county seat was located. It is one of the most 
beautiful towns in Pennsylvania, and is located in a 
valley of rare attraction. 

The Juniata Valley. The Juniata Valley was settled 
about 1740 largely by Scotch-Irish, who made their way 
from the Cumberland Valley through the gaps in the 
Blue Mountains. A good many Germans also located 
within its borders; but they were not encouraged to do 
so. Settlements were made in Sherman's Valley, in 
Tuscarora Valley, and in Aughwick Valley. But as the 
lands north of the Blue Mountains had not yet been 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 55 

bought from the Indians, the natives complained; and 
the provincial government ordered the trespassers to be 
driven out and their cabins burned. To this event 
Burnt Cabins, a village in Fulton County, owes its name. 
Many of the squatters returned, and aroused bad feeling 
among the savages, which raged with fury tluring the 
French and Indian War. 

The first settlers about Lewistown came from the 
Conococheague by way of the Aughwick. They built 
P\)rt Gran\ille, which was destroyed by western Indians 
who forced its occupants — soldiers and some settlers 
with their families — to march to Kittanning, whence 
they never returned. The white men, however, had a 
strong Indian friend on the Juniata in the i^erson of 
Logan, the Mingo chief. 

Huntingdon, long known as Standing Stone, was 
likewise settled by way of the Aughwick. It is located 
on the site of the Standing Stone, whose name may be 
regarded as a translation of an Indian word meaning the 
Juniata people. Conrad W^eiser mentioned the Standing 
Stone as a curiosity, and John Harris described it as 
being fourteen feet high and six inches square and 
containing Indian writing. The Indians venerated the 
Standing Stone, and probably carried it with them after 
the sale of the valley. 

Jack's Narrows, below Huntingdon, is also a place 
that suggests interesting history. It was named after 
Captain Jack Armstrong, who was a friend in need to 
the people of the Juniata Valley on many occasions, and 
a terror to the Indians. Bedford had its origin in the 



56 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

"Fort at Raystown/' to which tlie settlers could flee 
for protection against Indian incursions. 

An interesting spot in what is now Blair County is the 
Sinking Spring Valley. It contained lead mines, which 
were probably known to the French as early as 1750. 
The Indians of this region were always supplied with an 
abundance of lead, but where they obtained it was long 
a secret. In the Revolution, some of the bullets fired 
at the redcoats were made from the Sinking Spring 
lead. 

Indian ravages in the Juniata Valley. After Brad- 
dock's defeat, the Indians feU with merciless fury upon the 
infant settlements in the Juniata Valley. Carlisle, Ship- 
pensburg, and Chambersburg were frequently crow^ded 
with settlers, who had fled with their families, flocks, and 
furniture to escape the tomahawk and the hrebrand. 
Crops were harvested under the protection of the militia. 
On one occasion an entire school in Franklin County — 
Master Brown and his ten pupils — were murdered while 
at their books. It was not until the Indians had been 
driven beyond the Ohio, that the settlers of the Juniata 
Valley could plow their fields, gather their harvests, and 
eat their bread, without fear of the scalping knife. 

The Maryland boundary. In the countries along the 
southern border east of the mountains, there were 
numerous settlers w^ho had come from Maryland. The 
reason for this was that Lord Baltimore, the proprietor 
of Maryland, laid claim to a pai't of Pennsylvania north 
of the present boundary line, and encouraged his people 
to occupy that region. The width of a degree was in 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 57 

dispute on account of certain doubtful words in the 
charters of Lord Baltimore and Ponn. 

The dispute dragged its weary course through more 
than eighty years. Three English sovereigns had to 
deal with the troublesome question. Baltimore and 
Penn had a few interviews in America, but parted as 
secret enemies. With Lord Baltimore the aim was to 
acquire territory; with William Penn it was water front- 
age on Chesapeake Bay. Penn once offered to buy 
sufficient territory of Baltimore to get a port on Chesa- 
peake ]^ay, but met with a refusal. The claims were 
made with violence and occasional bloodshed. Settlers 
refused to pay taxes, because they did not know to 
whom to pay them. These conflicts occurred chiefly 
in the three Lower ( 'ounties and in York County, then 
called Lancaster. 

The border conflict. In 1730 Lord Baltimore sent 
Thomas Cresap, as a justice of the peace, to Wright's 
Ferry. Here Cresap began to build boats and erect a 
house. He came in conflict with the Pennsylvanians 
across the river, and even sent one to the Annapolis jail. 
He also attacked John ^^^right, the foremost Quaker in 
Lancaster County, whik^ the latt(M' was reaping grain 
on the west side of the Susquehanna. Not being a match 
for Wright, Ci'esap had the governor of Maryland send 
the militia to his assistance; but the Quaker farmer and 
his Scotch-Irish neighbors were too much for the Mary- 
landers. Nevertheless, Cresaji was a disturbing element 
for some time. Finally, in 1736, the sheriff of Lancaster 
County cai~)tured the disturber of the peace by firing his 



58 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

house. Cresap was taken to Philadelphia in triumph and 
lodged in jail. Maryland then sent an armed force of 
three hundred men into the Susquehanna Valley. After 
more bloodshed, these men were driven back; and all 
efforts to colonize that part of Pennsylvania with Mary- 
landers were abandoned in 1738. 

Mason and Dixon's line. Though peace existed now 
between the settlers of Maryland and Pennsylvania, 
the boundary line was not finally agreed upon until 
1761. Two expert English surveyors, Charles Mason 
and Jeremiah Dixon, were then appointed to run the 
lines. It took them several years to determine ex- 
actly the circle between Delaware and Pennsylvania, 
and locate the beginning of the southern boundary 
of Pennsylvania. (See p. 24.) This boundary, known 
as Mason and Dixon's line, was extended westw^ard in 
latitude 30° 44', for a distance of 230 miles, in the 
year 1767. 

At intervals of five miles, the surveyors placed stones 
marked on the north with the arms of Thomas and 
Richard Penn, and on the south with the arms of Lord 
Baltimore. Smaller stones were placed at the end of 
every mile. Where transportation w^as impossible — 
beyond the foot of Sideling Hill to the summit of the 
Alleghenies — heaps of stones marked the line; and thence 
to the end there were posts surrounded with stones and 
earth. The stones used as far as Sideling Hill were im- 
ported from England. 

On account of fear of the Indians, the remainder of 
the southern boundarv of the state was not run at this 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 59 

time; other surveyors, in 1782, completed it. Mason 
and Dixon returned to England, but their names became 
household words in America. Mason and Dixon's line 
became famous as the division between the free states 
and the slave states. 

This southern boundary line was re-surveyed in 1901 to 
1903; and where the old stones were missing or weather- 
worn, new ones from a marble quarry in Baltimore 
County, Maryland, were put up. The little triangular 
piece of land in Chester County, extending down from 
the eastern terminus of Mason and Dixon's line, known 
as the ''flat-iron," has been transferred by Pennsylvania 
to Delaware; but the transaction has not yet been com- 
pleted by Delaware and Congress. 

Virginians in western Pennsylvania. Virginia, by 
reason of her charter, held that the region about the 
forks of the Ohio belonged to her. In 1749 the Ohio 
Land Company, most of whose members were Virginians 
(two of them being brothers of General Washington), 
secured from George II a grant of half a million acres 
on the branches of the Ohio. Christopher Gist, after- 
ward the companion of AVashington on his journey to 
Fort Le Bceuf, explored the country. With eleven 
other families, he settled within the present limits of 
Fayette County. 

For protection against the French, these Virginians 
began to build a fort in 1754, on the site of the present 
city of Pittsburg. The French, however, captured them, 
finished the fort, and named it Fort Duquesne. The Eng- 
lish later took it from the French, rebuilt it, and named 



60 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

it Fort Pitt, in honor of Pitt, the distinguished Enghsh 
statesman. 

First settlements in western Pennsylvania. Before 
1758 the western part of Pennsylvania could be ap- 
proached from the east only by the route of the Juniata 
and the Kiskiminitas. In that year a road running 
from Fort Loudon by way of Bedford was finished as 
far as the Loyalhanna. This opened the way for nu- 
merous settlers from the eastern counties, notably the 
Scotch-Irish. They located in the Ligonier Valley, at 
Hannastown, and about the forks of the Ohio. With 
settlers from Maryland and Virginia, they possessed the 
land in comparative quiet till Pontiac's War. 

Pittsburg was begun in 1760, and the next year had 
104 houses, sheltering 332 persons. When Pontiac's 
conspiracy brought Indian attacks against the frontier 
settlements, the httle town was cut off from all communi- 
cation. In 1764, however, the Indians were forced to 
withdraw from western Pennsylvania and retire beyond 
the Ohio. Pittsburg remained a very small place until 
after the Revolution. 

Virginia's claims to western Pennsylvania. A new 
difficulty arose just before the Revolution. In 1773 the 
county of Westmoreland was formed by Pennsylvanians. 
Hannastown, near the present site of Greensburg, was 
made the county seat. It was the only collection of 
houses — about thirty in numl^er — worthy the name of 
town between Bedford and Pittsburg. Seeing that Penn- 
sylvania was reaching out to the forks of the Ohio, Vir- 
ginia renewed her claims to that country. 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 61 

Lord Dunmore, the governor of Virginia, asserted that 
Pittsburg was outside of the hmits of Pennsylvania. 
He placed in command Dr. John Connehy, a Pennsyl- 
vanian but a wilhng tool, who took possession of Fort 
Pitt and changed its name to Fort Dunmore. Connelly 
defied the Pennsylvania officers and commanded the 
people of Westmoreland County to recognize the au- 
thority of Lord Dunmore. Arthur 8t. Clair, a Pennsyl- 
vania magistrate, had Connelly arrested and bound over 
to keep the peace. This the doctor did not do. He got 
authority from Virginia to act as justice of the peace in 
Augusta County, which extended over the disputed ter- 
ritory in Pennsylvania. He then appeared at Hannas- 
town with 150 men, all armed and with colors flying, 
placed sentinels at the door of the courthouse, and kept 
the magistrates from entering. Lord Dunmore now es- 
tablished a court at Fort Pitt, and demanded obedience 
to its decrees. 

Settlement cf the western boundary. The dispute 
next went before Congress, where such men as Jefferson 
and Henry, of Virginia, and Franklin, of Pennsylvania, 
ad\^sed that the troops be withdrawn. By 1779 the 
\^irginians and Pennsylvanians agreed to extend Mason 
and Dixon's line to its western hmit of five degrees. 
There a meridian was drawn as far north as the Ohio. 
To mark the boundary, wide vistas were cut through 
the forests over the high hills, and trees were deadened 
or felled in the valleys. Stones were set up at irregular 
intervals and marked on the east side with the letter P, 
and on the west side with the letter V. 



62 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Southwestern Pennsylvania. After the Revohition, 
affairs on the Pennsylvania frontier were generally 
peaceful. Greensburg was founded on the site of a 
blockhouse of the Revolution. Hannastown had been 
wiped off the map of Westmoreland County, July 13, 
1782, by one of the most cruel Indian attacks on record. 
The Indians, under the famous Seneca chief, Kyashuta, 
arrived from across the Allegheny River early in the 
morning, applied the torch to the historic village, and 
carried some of its defenseless inhabitants into captivity. 

To the Virginia population of southwestern Pennsyl- 
vania were added many Scotch-Irish and Germans from 
the older Pennsylvania settlements. Washington and 
Fayette counties were formed; the latter now has within 
its borders the historic spots of Great Meadows, Fort 
Necessity, and Braddock's grave. Allegheny, which 
at first included all the territory north and west of the 
Ohio and Allegheny rivers, was also formed from West- 
moreland, the mother county of southwestern Pennsyl- 
vania. In 1790 Pittsburg contained two hundred houses, 
two thousand people, one newspaper, and a few manufac- 
turing establishments. It became a place of trade with 
the new and ever-increasing settlements, and its future 
greatness was assured. 

Remnants of the Indians in Pennsylvania. The 
northwestern part of the state was known as the Indian 
Country after the French war. This land, purchased in 
1784, was all the Indians then owned in Pennsylvania. 
However, they continued to invade this section from 
their retreats beyond the Ohio, until Wayne's treaty in 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 63 

1795. This put an end to their hostihty, and only one 
chief (Gyantwochia, "the cornplanter/') had dominion 
thereafter within the state. His reservation remains to- 
(.hiy. He became the friend of the settlers after the Rev- 
olution, and the state gave him permission to select 1,500 
acres of land for himself and his descendants. He chose 
640 acres on the west branch of the Allegheny, about fif- 
teen miles above Warren, together with two large islands 
adjoining. There he located permanently with his family, 
about 1791; and there his descendants live at the present 
day — the last remnant of the n^d man in Pennsylvania. 
They farm their land and have a school, which is sup- 
ported by the stat{\ 

Northwestern Pennsylvania. The Indian Country was 
entered by the white settlers by way of the Allegheny 
River and the border of New York. Erie, the oldest and 
most historic ])lace in it, can boast of the footprints of 
La Salk^ and of the fort of Prescjue Lsle, the first of a 
number of j^osts established by the French. At Fort Le 
B(x>uf, Washington, at the age of twenty-one, performed 
his hrst public service. These points are in the triangle 
along the shore of Lake Erie. 

The northern boundary of the state was the subject of 
mild dispute between the Penns and New York for nearly 
fifty years. Occasionally grants of land within territory 
claimed by the Penns w^ere made by the governor of 
New York. The line was finally fixed. It stopped in 
Lake Erie four miles east of where the western boundary 
ended, thus giving Pennsylvania only four miles of 
water frontage. The triangle cut off belonged to the 



64 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



United States. In 1792 Pennsylvania bought it from the 
Federal government for the sum of $151,640.50. Three 
years later. Erie was laid out on Presque Isle; and a 
short time afterward Prince Louis Philipi)e, heir to the 
throne which once held control of the soil where Erie 
stands, was entertained in the town. 

Kittanning, another place familiar in the annals of 
northwestern Pennsylvania, was originally an Indian 




The Counties in 1800 

village. It marked the western terminus of the Indian 
path across the mountains from Standing Stone and 
other points in the Juniata Valley. It was destroyed in 
1756 by Colonel Armstrong, after whom the county is 
named. The country around it afterward became the 
scene of many of Captain Samuel Brady's encounters 
with the Indians. 

A noted point on the Kittanning path was Cherry 



GROWTH OF POPULATION 65 

Tree, at the present juncture of Cambria, Clearfield, 
and Indiana counties. It was the head of canoe naviga- 
tion on the Susciuehanna. The Indians would take their 
canoes out of the stream at Cherry Tree and strike the 
trail through northern Indiana to Kittanning. A monu- 
ment has been erected at the place to commemorate its 
historic associations. 

The Ohio Valley. In the Ohio Valley, west of Pitts- 
biu'g, the Moravian missionaries were the first white men 
to lay the foundations of settlement. Zeisberger and 
Senseman established a mission, called Friedenstadt, 
in Lawrence County. These pious men had followed 
their Indian wards all the way from Wyalusing on the 
Susquehanna, sojourning for a while among the Monseys 
in Forest County. Neshannock, Mahoning, and other 
names of streams in this locality were brought by the 
Indians from the Delaware Valley, where they had 
known streams of the same names. 

Eight new counties. After the victory of Wayne. 
the Indian Country rai)idly became the w^hite man's 
country. In 1800 ''the great new county act" was 
passed in the legislature, by which Beaver, Butler, 
Mercer, Crawford, Erie, W^arren, Venango, and Arm- 
strong counties were created. 

Pennsylvania was now practically settled and organ- 
ized under thirty-five county governments. 
5 



CHAPTER IV 
THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT 

Forms of colonial government. The English colonial 
governments in America were of three kinds: first, pro- 
vincial, under which the Crown established the govern- 
ment, appointed the governors, and instructed them how 
to rule; second, proprietary, according to which the 
Crown granted a tract of land to some individual, called 
the proprietary, and empowered him to establish the 
government, appoint the governors, and instruct them 
how to rule; third, charter, through which the Crown 
gave the colonists the power to organize a government, 
elect the governor, and hold him responsible for his acts. 
All the colonies had a legislature elected by the people. 
The laws were to conform as nearly as possible to the 
laws of England. The judges were appointed by the 
governors. Pennsylvania's government was of the 
proprietary form. 

The Frame of Government of Pennsylvania. WilHam 
Penn, under the powers of his charter, drew up in Eng- 
land a Frame of Government. It was the constitution 
under which the province of Pennsylvania was organized. 
He drew it up before the first company of colonists under 
Markham, the deputy governor, sailed for America. 
This small party, who were to take possession of Penn's 
grant of land and prepare for his own coming the next 

66 



THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT 



67 



year, signed the Frame of Government before departing, 
and before Penn himself signed it. 

The spirit of Penn's Frame of Government was 
thoroughly republican. ''I will put the power with the 
people," he said. In the preface are these words: 

I know some say, ''Let us have good laws, and no matter 
about the men that execute them." But let them consider that, 
though good laws do well, good men do better; for good laws 
want [be in need of] good men; but good men ^^ill never want 
good laws nor suffer [allow] ill ones. 




(puZj^^Cf^^ 









Signatures to the Frame of Government 

At another place are found these words— they have 
been inscribed on the walls of the corridor in Independ- 
ence Hall, side by side with the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence : 






68 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Any government is free to the people under it, whatever be 
the form, where the laws rule, and the people are a party to 
those laws; and more than this is tyranny, oligarchy and confu- 
sion. 

In speaking of the end of all government, Penn once 
made use of these words: 

To support power in reverence vnih the people, and to secure 
the people from the abuse of power: that they may be free by 
their just obedience, and the magistrates honorable for their 
just administration; for liberty without obedience is confusion, 
and obedience without liberty is slavery. To carry this eveimess 
is partly owing to the constitution, and })artly to the magistracy ; 
where either of these fail, go\'ernment will be subject to convul- 
sion; but where both are wanting, it must be totally subverted; 
then where both meet, the government is like to endure. Which 
I humbly pray and hope God will please to make the lot of 
Pennsylvania. 

The highest purpose of government, according to 
Penn's Frame, is to secure to every person the ''free 
enjoyment of his religious opinions and worshii), so 
long as it does not extend to licentiousness or the 
destruction of others; that is, to speak loosely or pro- 
fanely of God, Christ, and the scriptures or religion, or 
to commit any moral evil or injury against others." 
Summing up the principles of government as expressed 
by Penn, we find that they are about all included in the 
words — "Virtue, Liberty, and Independence" — written 
on Pennsylvania's coat of arms. 

The Council and the General Assembly. The Frame 
of Government consisted of twenty-four articles and 



THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT 



69 



forty laws. The government was vested in the governor 
and freemen of the province. The freemen were to elect 
a Provincial Council and a General Assembly. The 
Council was to have seventy- two members, to serve for 
three years. The Assembly was to consist of all the 
freemen the first year, when the Frame was to be 
accepted, and of two hundred of them the next year — the 
number to be increased as the population grew, but not 




The Coat of Arms of Pennsylvania 

to exceed five hundred. The governor, or his deputy, 
was to be the jxn-petual president of the Provincial 
Council, and was to have a treble vote. 

The General Assembly had no power to make laws 
and no privilege to debate. The bills originated and 
passed by the Council were presented to the Assembly 
for approval or rejection with a plain "Yes" or ''No." 
It could name candidates for sheriffs and justices of the 



70 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

peace, from whom the governor would make his selection, 
but it had to name twice as many as were to be appointed. 

The Great Law. When Penn arrived in Pennsylvania, 
he called the first General Assembly to meet at Chester 
December 6. He presented the "Laws agreed upon in 
England," and ninety others. Sixty-one of the latter 
were embodied in the "great law or body of laws of the 
province of Pennsylvania." Though more than two 
hundred years have passed since the Great Law was 
enacted at Chester, it still remains — modified to some 
extent, but not greatly — as a part of the government of 
our commonwealth. It allowed freedom of worship to 
all who acknowledged one God. All members of the 
government, as well as the voters, had to be qualified in 
the belief that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the 
Saviour of the world. Swearing, cursing, drunkenness, 
health-drinking, card-playing, scolding, and lying were 
all prohibited in the Great Law. 

The Charter of Privileges. On his return to Philadel- 
phia in 1699 (see p. 32), Penn found his colonists rather 
indifferent to him. For a period of fifteen years he had 
ruled them from England, and many misunderstandings 
resulted. He soon learned that he must give them a new 
form of government. So the old Frame was abandoned 
and the Charter of Privileges was given in its place. 
Penn signed this in 1701. The new document provided 
for a General Assembly with much greater powers. It 
gave the people the power to elect some of the county 
officers; and contained a strong plea for liberty of con- 
science. By it, too, Delaware was to have a separate As- 



THE FORM OF GOVERNMENT 71 

sembly. The Charter of Privileges was indeed the env}^ 
of neighboring colonies, so republican was it in its nature. 
Under it Pennsylvania was governed until the province 
became a state in 1776. 

Constitutional government. The constitution of Penn- 
sylvania which was made in 1770, provided for a leg- 
islature of one house only — called the General Assembly. 
The executive power was vested partly in a president 
chosen by the General Assembly and the Supreme Ex- 
ecutive Council, both of which were elected by the j^eople. 
The other constitutions since 1776 have been that of 
1790, that of 1838, and the present one, adopted in 1873. 
In 1790 the legislature was made to consist of a Senate 
and a House of Representatives. The Supreme Execu- 
tive Council with its president was abolished and a gov- 
ernor elected by the people was substituted. In 1873 
the office of lieutenant governor was created. 



CHAPTER V 

SOME AFFAIRS OF THE GOVERNMENT: IN THE 
COLONIAL PERIOD 

Under Penn, 1682-1712 

The governors under Penn. The Frame of Govern- 
ment having been accepted and the Great Law enacted, 
the administration of the government began. From 1682 
to 1684 Penn himself was governor. Thereafter, mitil 
1712, he ruled his province through governors a])pointed 
by him, except during the two years, 1699-1701, when he 
again personally filled the office. Most of these gov- 
ernors proved unsatisfactory both to Penn and to the 
people. They were generally sent here from abroad, and 
were English, Scotch, or Irish, and not Pennsylvanians. 

Political history begins. The Assembly having no 
power to propose bills, the first political struggle of an}' 
consequence arose from this defect in the Frame of 
Government. Bills proposed by the Council were fre- 
quently voted down by the Assembly for no good reason 
except to use what power it had. The deadlocks thus 
produced caused great annoyance to Penn, who, as has 
been seen, now lived in England and ruled his province 
through the Council. So in 1688 he sent an entire stran- 
ger. Captain Blackwell, to act as governor. But a 
soldier governor was not acceptable to the Quakers, and 
his administration made matters no better. He had to 

72 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD 



73 



be recalled, and the whole Council — with Thomas Lloyd, 
the chief man among the Quakers, as president — wa;j 
authorized to carry on the government for Penn. 

The cave dwellers. Another source of worry to Penn, 
soon after his first return to England, arose from the 
bad conduct of the cave dwellers along the Delaware (see 
p. 30). When the first occupants left their caves and 
moved into houses, drunkards, thieves, and other bad 
characters, who had forced their way into the colony, 
made their home in these caves. Arrests and imprison- 
ment checked the evil, but finally the caves had to be 
destroyed. 

Troubles in Delaware. Delaware, known as the three 
Lower Counties, was not settled by Quakers. Being 
exposed to attacks from the sea, 
its inhabitants, on hearing that 
war with France was expected, 
wanted to arm themselves. The 
Quakers of PiMinsylvania objected 
on religious grounds, and they also 
laughed at the idea of a French 
invasion, saying they could see 
''no danger except from bears and 
wolves." Besides, Thomas Lloyd 
did not hke the men whom Dela- 
ware sent to the Council. He said 
they were profane and immoral. 
Penn did not want to let Dela- 
ware go out of his control; l)ut he was obliged for the 
sake of peace to give the Lower Counties a separate 




Penn's Book-plate, 
Showing His Coat 
OF Arms 



74 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Assembly. From 1703 until the Revolution, Delaware 
made its own laws but was under the same governor 
as Pennsylvania. 

Penn loses and regains the government. These and 
other disturbances in Pennsylvania were used in London 
to prejudice the king against Penn. His enemies said 
that the province was in such a state of dissatisfaction 
and disturbance that the French could easily make a 
prey of it. So in 1692 the government was taken away 
from him and given to the governor of New York; but in 
less than two years, it was restored to Penn. 

The troubles which Penn's enemies had made for him 
with the king long detained him in England. At length, 
he set sail with his family in 1699. He arrived at a time 
when the people needed his presence, for they were much 
depressed in spirit by the ravages of yellow fever. He 
at once took personal charge of the governorship and 
made James Logan, an Irishman who had come with him, 
secretary of the province. Logan was an important man 
in the province for half a century. 

Penn's second personal rule. The most important act 
of Penn's second rule as governor was the granting of a 
new form of government, the Charter of Privileges (see 
p. 70). It provided that all religions were to exist on 
terms of equality, and that all Christians were to be 
eligible for office. But the Assembly soon afterward 
excluded Catholics, Jews, and unbelievers from all offices. 
Penn gave some thought to slavery while he was gov- 
ernor, and secured a law putting slaves under the law 
instead of under the will of their masters. He tried to 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD 



75 




stop the sale of liquor to the Indians; but the traders 
on the frontier would not give up so profitable a busi- 
ness. He did succeed, however, in restor- 
ing a more orderly condition in the colony, 
settling many of the disputes that had 
arisen, and breaking up the factions among 
the ruling classes for the time being. 

Troubles in the colony. Soon after 
Penn's return to England in 1701, Queen 
Anne's War began between England and 
France, and there was fighting in their 
colonies. John Evans was then governor. 
It was feared that French men-of-war would enter the 
Delaware. Evans knew the doctrine of the Quakers 
about war, but thought they would fight if they were 
attacked. So he planned a sham attack. He had a 
messenger arrive in great haste, with the news that the 
French were coming up the river. He himself then rode 
through the streets, entreating the people to arm them- 
selves. Some people were badly scared, — valuables were 
thrown into wells, vessels sent up the river, and boats 
secreted in creeks; but most of the Quakers went about 
their duties as usual. 

To the feeling of disgust which this piece of folly called 
forth, was added bitter resentment when the governor 
refused to let the Assembly establish a judiciary. Com- 
plaints were also made by the Quakers because their 
magistrates had to administer oaths or resign their offices. 
An order to this effect had been issued by Queen Anne, 
because it was represented to her that a man might be 



76 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

tried in Pennsylvania for his life by a judge, jury, and 
witnesses, none of whom had been sworn. 

Governor Evans, having lost the confidence and re- 
spect of the Quakers, became a source of worry to Penn. 
The Assembly passed resolutions in 1704 blaming him 
for not doing right by them. They charged that vice 
had increased in the colony by the example of Governor 
Evans and William Penn, Jr. This son of Penn was 
given to drunkenness and other vices. So Penn sent 
him to Pennsylvania in the care of Logan and Evans, 
who were to make something better of him. They were 
to interest him in hunting and fishing. Penn's man- 
sion at Pennsbury, Bucks County, was to be the son's 
residence, and he was made a member of the Council. 
But the hopes of the father were not realized. Evans 
and young Penn indulged freely in drink, and late one 
night, after a row with the police, the two were arrested, 
greatly to the scandal of the government and of Penn. 
William, Jr., not long afterward died as a result of his 
excesses; and Evans, of course, was asked by Penn to 
resign. 

Penn bargains to sell Pennsylvania. The financial 
and political troubles of Penn were so great that he 
offered to sell Pennsylvania to the Crown. The offer 
was under consideration for a long time, because Penn 
would not sell unless the Quakers were guaranteed a 
share in the government. He was afraid that wluni the 
Crown got control of his province, the Quakers' scrujoles 
about taking an oath or bearing arms would no longer 
be respected. In 1712 Penn's terms were accepted and 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD 



77 



he got one thousand pounds cash, the balance (eleven 
thousand pounds) to be paid when the sale was com- 
pleted. But before it was 
completed, he had a stroke of 
apoplexy and Pennsylvania 
fortunately remained in his 
possession. His last words to 
his colonists, written in a letter 
to Logan dated 4th 8th month, 
1712, were, "My dear love to 
all my dear Friends. ' ' Though 
he lived till 1718, his mind was 
weak, and neither the voice 
nor the pen of the founder of 
Pennsylvania ever again took 
part in the affairs of his prov- 
ince. His three sons became 
proprietors of the province, 
but as they were all young, Mrs. Penn directed the gov- 
ernment. 




Penn's Desk 

Now in the Philadelphia 

Library 



Under Mrs. Penn, 1712-1733 

The taking of oaths. The Quakers and the German 
sects objected to taking oath; that is, they would not 
use the word '^ swear" but would ''affirm" in testifying 
or in accepting office. The Crown refused to recognize 
the Quaker affirmation, and so for two years after 1714 
justice in Pennsylvania was difficult to administer, 
because nearly all the judgeships, offices, and juries were 
filled by people refusing to take an oath. 



78 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

In this period, two men in Chester County committed 
a murder. The governor lield that they could not be tried 
without oaths; and so tliey were released on bail. They 
became very insolent in their neighborhood after they 
got out of jail. Fortunately Sir William Keith, suc- 
ceeding Governor Gookin, took a different view and 
brought the men to trial before a jury on which eight 
Quakers sat. A number of the witnesses, too, " affirmed." 
The prisoners were found guilty, but their lawyer 
appealed to England on the ground that a criminal trial 
without oaths was unlawful. The appeal was turned 
down and the men were hanged; but the case caused a 
great stir in England. The Assembly then passed a new 
law which required the name of "Almighty God" to be 
in an affirmation. This law was approved by the king. 

Immigration. Foreign immigration demanded atten- 
tion in the time of Mrs. Penn's control. The Germans 
and the Scotch-Irish came in such large numbers that 
their naturalization was not looked upon with favor. A 
bill was presented in the Assembly, providing that appli- 
cants for citizenship must produce a certificate from a 
justice of the peace stating the amount of property they 
had and the nature of their religious faith. The gov- 
ernor objected to these requirements, and the Assembly 
granted citizenship without them, but laid a duty on all 
imported foreigners coming to reside in the province. 
There were many servants among the immigrants; others 
were vagrants and felons, sent here as well as to the 
other colonies by England. A duty of five pounds was 
imposed upon the importer of convicted felons. 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD 79 

Redemptioners. Many of the immigrants to Penn- 
sylvania, especially the Germans, were too poor to pay 
for their voyage across the sea. So they agreed with the 
captain of the vessel that, upon reaching Philadelphia, 
he should hire them out as servants for a number of years 
and in that way get his pay for bringing them over. 
Married men would hire out themselves and their wives 
and children. Such servants were called redemptioners. 
They were usually a good class of people. It did not 
take them long to free themselves, and then they would 
rent or buy land and become independent and prosperous. 
Some of the best families in the state have descended 
from redemptioners. 

Questions of commerce. Commerce and finance also 
engaged the attention of the government about this 
time. There was not a sufficient sale for the products of 
the province, which consisted chiefly of flour, meats, 
butter, and eggs. Laws were passed to create a home 
market; brewers and distillers were required to use 
nothing but home products, and some of these were 
made a legal tender (that is, they could be used like 
money in the payment of debts). Exports were rigidly 
inspected, with a view to increasing their demand 
abroad, especially in the West Indies, where Pennsyl- 
vania flour and salt meats sold well. But these remedies 
did not create a market for all that grew on the fertile 
farms so rapidly multiplying. Had England allowed 
her colonies to engage in manufacture, Pennsylvania 
might have built up a good trade. As it was, her im- 
ports of manufactured articles far exceeded her exports; 



80 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

gold and silver were drawn off to pay debts abroad, 
money became scarce, and financial embarrassment fol- 
lowed. 

Paper money. Governor Keith now came forward 
with a proposition to issue paper money. The Assembly, 
having full knowledge of the disastrous effects of this 
kind of currency in other colonies, acted with great 
caution, and issued just so much as would supply the 
place of the gold and silver sent abroad. The issue un- 
der Keith amounted to 45,000 pounds. To get this paper 
money from the government, people had to pledge silver- 
ware or land as security. Paper money now continued 
to be used in Pennsylvania from time to time, and it 
gave rise to many political battles. • 

Temporary homes of the Assembly. The first meeting 
of the Assembly of Pennsylvania was held at Chester 
(see p. 29) in a house that was not built for that purpose. 
The second session was held in temporary quarters in 
Philadelphia. Afterward the infant capitol was removed 
to the old Bank Meeting House on Front Street, above 
Arch. For ten years longer the great Friends' Meeting 
House was the home of the Assembly and Council. 
Then for another period the lawmakers met in the 
dwellings of wealthy Philadelphians. But when the 
supply of such residences gave out, the legislature was 
taken in by a schoolmaster, who was made clerk of the 
body and was paid twenty shillings a session as rent for 
the use of his schoolrooms. In 1728 we find the Assembly 
meeting again in a private house; but before that time 
several sessions had been held in the Slate Roof House, 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD 



81 



once the residence of Penn, and in the county court- 
house. 

The State House and the Liberty Bell. When it 
became evident, after Pennsylvania's government had 
been going on wheels for forty-seven years, that such 
temporary arrangements were no longer tolerable, the 




The Liberty Bell 

Assembly, in 1729, resolved to build a State House. 
A\^ork was not begun until 1732. The building was 
completed in 1741, though the finishing touches were 
not put on till 1745. A part of it was occupied by the 
Assembly in October, 1735. In 1750 an addition was 
ordered "on the south side, to contain the staircase, 
6 



82 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

with a place therein for hanging a bell." The bell used 
before this time was probably brought over by Penn. It 
had hung on a small belfry in front of the l^uildings in 
which the Assembly met. Members of the Assembly 
who were not present within half an hour after the bell 
had rung were to pay " a tenpenny bit." The bell which 
has come to be known as the Liberty Bell was originally 
made in London. It was twice recast here; first in 1753, 
on account of a crack it received when ''hung up to try 
the sound." It was then that the words "Proclaim 
liberty throughout the land, unto all the inhabitants 
thereof," were added. It was again cracked in 1835, 
while being tolled in memory of Chief Justice Marshall. 
It now rests in the hallway of the old State House. 

Historic associations of the State House. Little did 
the Assembly of 1729 dream of the historic scenes that 
were to be enacted in the Pennsylvania State House. 
Here, June 28, 1774, resolutions were passed, making 
common cause with Boston, denouncing the Port Bill, 
and recommending a congress of all the colonies. Here 
the Second Continental Congress met in 1775, and re- 
mained, except when the city was held by the British, 
till 1783. Here the Declaration of Independence was 
passed July 4, 1776, and first publicly read, July 8. 
Here the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual l^nion 
were signed July 9, 1778, and finally ratified March 1, 
1781. Here the Constitution was framed, May 25 to 
September 17, 1787; here the state convention ratified 
the Constitution of the United States, December 12, 
1787. And here, in the city building on the corner of 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD 83 

Sixth and Chestnut streets, Congress sat between 1790 
and 1800, and Washington was inaugurated as President 
in 1793 and Adams in 1797. 

Under the Heirs of Penn, 1733-1776 

Penn's sons as proprietors. Mrs. Penn having died in 
1733, the government was carried on by her three sur- 
vi\dng sons, John, Thomas, and Richard. John and 
Thomas both came to Pennsylvania. John had to go 
back to England on account of the boundary dispute^ 
with Maryland; but Thomas remained in the province 
nine years. After the death of John in 1746, Thomas 
was the chief proprietor of Pennsylvania till his death 
in 1775, when his sous Richard and John succeeded him. 

Measures of defense. When war was declared between 
England and Spain in 1739, Governor Thomas passed 
through the same experiences that Evans and Goo kin 
had concerning measures of defense. To his request for 
aid, the Assembly replied that their conscience forbade 
them to extend it, but that he, as governor, might 
organize a voluntary militia without consulting them. 
With the aid of Benjamin Franklin, he soon had a good 
body of troops; but unfortunately so many of them were 
redemptioners, anxious to escape from servitude, that 
the Assembly refused to vote any money unless these 
were returned to their masters. Governor Thomas was 
stubborn, and raised funds on the credit of the British 
government. Then the Assembly had to pay the masters 
for the loss of their servants. It also gave 3,000 pounds 
to the Crown in aid of the war, but nothing to Thomas. 



84 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Political divisions now sprang up. Those who sided 
with Thomas were called the "gentlemen's party "; while 
those who supported the Assembly were known as the 
"country party." At an election for the Assembly, in 
1742, the "gentlemen's party" was completely defeated. 
Thomas then made peace with the Assembly. He signed 
the laws passed, and in return got all arrears of salary. 

Peace at an end; King George's War. In 1744 King 
George's War commenced, and Pennsylvania ceased to 
be a colony of peace. France threatened the province 
from without, in the effort to take 
possession of the Ohio Valley; and the 
Indians threatened it from within, be- 
cause they had been unjustly deprived 
of some of their lands. A battery was 
erected below Philadelphia by means 
of funds raised by lottery. Conrad 
Weiser, the provincial interpreter, was 
Pennsylvania's ggj^^ among the Indians to propose a 
Provincial Flag . , rr«i t • • i . 

treaty. I he Iroquois promised to pre- 
vent the French and their Indian allies (the Delawares 
and the Shawanese) from marching through Iroquois 
territory to attack the English settlements. However, 
the lavishness of French presents and the memories of 
the ''walking purchase" (see p. 47) made the settlers 
on the frontier feel very uneasy. 

Governor Thomas, assisted by Franklin and Logan, 
had no difficulty in raising a volunteer militia. The men 
who volunteered were called Associators, a name applied 
for many years to the mihtia. They carried for the first 




THE COLONIAL PERIOD 85 

time the so-called provincial flag of Pennsylvania. It 
was designed by Franklin, and consisted of a lion holding 
a cimeter and the shield of the province. The true 
provincial flag, the banner of the Penns, was never un- 
furled in Pennsylvania. But it is represented on the shield 
of arms in the great seal and on the official acts and 
proclamations issued by authority of the state. 

The Assembly, in support of the expedition against 
Louisburg, voted 4,000 pounds ''to be expended for 
bread, beef, pork, flour, wheat, and other grain." Fortu- 
nately Pennsylvania was not molested in King George's 
War, except to be badly frightened. 

Indian disturbances. Indian troubles continued dur- 
ing the governorship of James Hamilton, whose adminis- 
tration extended to the year 1754. Incited by French 
presents and promises of lost hunting grounds, the 
Indians showed 0])en contempt for the white men of 
Pennsylvania. The Senecas, on a visit to Philadelphia, 
killed cattle and robbed orchards, not even sparing the 
property of Conrad Weiser. Such acts were committed 
to extort presents from the province. In this the wily 
Indians were successful. The Assembly voted large 
sums of money on several occasions to quiet them. Nor 
was this the only expense, for the settlers had to be 
repaid for their losses. 

The French in the Ohio Valley. During the years of 
peace after 1748, the French explored the valleys of the 
Allegheny and Ohio rivers. They buried leaden plates 
at the mouths of a number of tributaries, and nailed 
pieces of tin to trees standing near by, as evidences of 



86 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

French claims to the land drained by these rivers. They 
then erected forts at various places along the route of 
exploration, and stationed troops there. One, Presque 
Isle, was located at the present site of Erie; another, 
Le Boeuf, at Waterford; and still another, Machault, at 
Franklin. 

Fort Duquesne. To resist the progress of the French, 
the Assembly was asked to build a fort at the junction 
of the Ohio and Allegheny rivers; but the French had so 
long confined their hostilities to New York and New 
England, that Pennsylvania felt at ease. Virginia then 
began to build the fort; but the French seized it and, 
after finishing it, gave it the name of Fort Duquesne. 
Virginia claimed the territory in which the fort was 
located, and promptly dispatched George Washington 
on an expedition to drive the French out; but he was 
defeated at Fort Necessity. 

Braddock arrives with English troops. England, see- 
ing the designs of France to take possession of the Missis- 
sippi Valley, sent two regiments under General Braddock 
to America, in March, 1755. Pennsylvania was asked 
for troops, provisions, trans})ortation, and for a part of 
a common fund to be raised by all the colonies. Franklin 
undertook the task of getting 150 wagons and 1,500 
pack horses. He advertised for these in York, Lancaster, 
and Cumberland counties, and in two weeks had more 
than the quota. He gave his bonds for such horses as 
might be lost in the service. Claims to the amount of 
20,000 pounds — enough to ruin him financially — were 
afterwards presented; and the Assembly, after a long 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD 87 

delay, paid his obligations. Three hundred men were 
put to work cutting a road from Fort Loudon to unite 
with Braddock's road coming up from Maryland west of 
the mountains. Together with New Jersey, the province 
also furnished a body of troops. 

Braddock's defeat. It was June before Braddock's 
army left Fort Cumberland for Fort Duquesne, "over 
the worst roads in the world." He was accompanied by 
Washington, two chiefs commanding some Indians, 
George Croghan, the Indian agent of Pennsylvania, and 
Captain Jack, the "wild hunter.'' Progress was slow, 
but without danger till the Monongahela had been 
crossed, some seven miles from Fort Duquesne, July 9. 
The army had just finished dinner and resumed the 
march, when it suddenly came face to face with the 
French, Canadians, and Indians. 

The English troo])s were at once confused by the 
strange manner of battle employed by the enemy, who 
kept behind trees and logs, while nothing could be seen 
but puffs of smoke. Wien Braddock rode up and down 
among his men, urging them to fight, they replied that 
they would do so if he could show them the enemy. He 
got angry at Washington for suggesting that they fight 
the Indians in Indian fashion, and when some of the 
soldiers did this, he rudely ordered them away from their 
shelter. The battle lasted for three hours, and had not 
Washington covered the retreat with his provincial 
troops, the entire army would have been annihilated. 

Braddock was shot in the back just after he had ordered 
a retreat. He died on the summit of Laurel Hill the 



88 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

third day afterward. His body was buried in the center 
of the road, so that the retreating army in marching over 
it might efface aU signs of the grave. In 1804 the re- 
mains were reinterred at the foot of a large white oak 
tree near by. 

The Indians take revenge. Braddock's defeat caused 
the greatest consternation in Pennsylvania. The Indians 
now had the opportunity of avenging the ^^ walking pur- 
chase/' and other acts of injustice, real and imaginary. 
They fell upon the frontier of Pennsylvania along its 
entire length — a distance of two hundred miles. First 
they disposed of the isolated settler beyond the moun- 
tains, in the valleys of the Juniata and the Susquehanna. 
With no neighbors nearer than four or five miles, he was 
an easy victim. A j^low in the fiu'row, a cabin in ashes, 
and a family scalped, mutilated, and murdered — such 
was the usual tale. 

Then the bloodthirsty Indians broke through the gaps 
of the Blue Ridge. The French officers who were with 
them had no control over them. The main body was 
encamped on the Susquehanna, thirty miles above Har- 
ris' Ferry. Thence they ravaged the counties of Cum- 
berland, Lancaster, Berks, and Northampton. Their 
atrocities were carried to within fifty miles of Philadel- 
phia; the scalp yells were heard at Nazareth and Bethle- 
hem, to which towns the Indians carried their prisoners 
and ])lunder. 

The defense of the province. Petitions for arms and 
ammunition came to the Assembly from every part of 
the province. The frontier counties held public meet- 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD 89 

ings to demand from Philadelphia measures and means 
of defense. A body of four hundred Germans marched 
to the city, crowded into the hall of the Assembly, and 
personally urged their demands. About three hundred 
Indians who had remained faithful to the memory of 
Penn also joined in the appeals for help. The proprietors 
offered a donation of 5,000 pounds for the defense of the 
province, and the Assembly passed a bill to raise money. 

A militia law passed. The Assembly also passed a 
militia law. Although it was against their own scruples 
to bear arms, the members of the Assembly would allow 
the arming of those who thought it right. It was to be 
altogether a volunteer system. Franklin was made 
commander. He led about five hundred men to Bethle- 
Jiem, in December, to give much-needed hel]) to the 
Moravian settlements. He remained in Northampton 
County till February, and ate, slept, and roughed it with 
the Associators. The philosopher, scientist, journalist, 
and statesman became so popular as a soldier that he 
was made a colonel, and was actually suggested as 
leader for an expedition against Fort Ducjuesne. 

Frontier forts. There were so many points along the 
frontier that needed protection that the Assembly a])pro- 
priated 85,000 pounds for a chaiu of forts from the 
Delaware to the Maryland line. At first there were less 
than twenty forts; but at the close of the French and 
Indian War, no less than two hundred stockades and 
blockhouses had been erected, so as to form two distinct 
lines of defense on the frontier. They commanded the 
principal passes in the mountains, and were garrisoned 



90 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

by the militia or by the rangers. To arouse the energies 
of the mihtia in the forts and of the frontiersmen, 
Governor Morris offered a reward for Indian scalps and 
for the recovery of English prisoners. 

The settlers frequently Hved in the forts for months 
at a time, taking their household goods, farm implements, 
and live stock with them into the inclosure. When there 
was no danger outside, the men worked in their fields 
during the day, and returned at night. They always 
took their rifles with them, and were often accompanied 
by sentinels. 

Armstrong's expedition against the Indians. Gov- 
ernor Morris also planned Colonel Armstrong's famous 
expedition against the Indian stronghold at Kittanning, 
which took place under the next governor. The force 
of three hundred men marched from Fort Shirley, now 
in Huntingdon County, August 30, 175G, and at daybreak 
of September 8, attacked Captain Jacobs, the most active 
chief of that time. Many of the Indians were sleeping in 
a cornfield, on account of the heat. They were surprised 
and driven into the town. After two refusals to sur- 
render, their huts were set on fire, and many of the sav- 
ages died in the flames, singing and whooping as they 
perished. Captain Jacobs was shot while trying to escape 
from a window. Great quantities of powder and other 
stores which the French had supplied to the Indians were 
captured. Colonel Armstrong received a medal from the 
city of Philadelphia in recognition of his services. If he 
had not destroyed Kittanning, Captain Jacobs and his In- 
dians would have marclied for Fort Shirley the next day. 



THE COLONIAL PEKIOD 91 

The fall of Fort Duquesne. General John Forbes, in 
1758, led an exi^edition against Fort Duquesne. His 
army gathered at Bedford, and at the suggestion of 
Colonel Bouquet, a Swiss officer in tae service of the 
British army, cut a new road from Raystown to Loyal- 
hanna, a distance of forty-five miles. Loyalhanna was 
made the base of operations. A small force was sent 
forward to find out the strength of the enemy at Fort 
Duquesne. Venturing too far, this detachment was 
attacked, and fared no better than Braddock. En- 
couraged by this success, the French and Indians re- 
solved to make a sudden assault on the camp at Loyal- 
hanna, but were repulsed twice by Colonel Bouquet. 
Forbes then sent Washington forward with the Virgin- 
ians. But the enemy had fled. Flaming timbers and 
exploding powder were all that was left at Fort Du- 
quesne to tell the tale of French occupation in the Ohio 
Valley; and the French and Indian War was over in 
Pennsylvania. 

After the treaty of 1763 there was every prospect of 
a long era of peace. There was no foreign foe beyond the 
mountains to invade the colonies, or to incite the Indians 
against the frontier. The settlers returned to their 
abandoned homes to begin life anew; and the English 
government fortified the region conquered from the 
French. 

Pontiac's conspiracy. The extension of the English 
defenses, however, and the rapid advance of the settlers 
caused a fresh uprising among the savages. Pontiac, a 
veritable Napoleon of the wilderness, organized all the 



92 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

tribes from Lake Ontario to Georgia in a grand con- 
spiracy to repel the English. The attack was to be made 
on all the forts and settlements on the same day; but 
the plan miscarried. Fort Pitt was surrounded early 
in June, 1763, a few days before the war whoop was heard 
in New York, Maryland, and Virginia. A bundle of 
sticks had been given to every tribe in the conspiracy, 
each bundle containing as many sticks as there were 
days till the time for the attack. One stick was to l)e 
drawn out every morning; the day on which the last one 
was removed was to be the time for the attack. A 
Delaware squaw on the Ohio, who was in sympathy 
with the whites, had purposely drawn out two or three 
sticks, unnoticed by the warriors, and so brought about 
the untimely action. 

The tomahawk first and the torch next, was the order 
which Pontiac had given all along the line. Corpses 
and ashes marked the path of destruction. Although 
the harvest was ripe, the farmers abandoned their grain 
fields and fled through the mountain passes to the settle- 
ments beyond. On July 25 Shippensburg harl)ored over 
three hundred fugitives; Carlisle, too, was full to over- 
flowing, and so were other places. 

The battle of Bushy Run. General Amherst, com- 
mander of the British army in America, dispatched Colo- 
nel Bouquet to western Pennsylvania. His command 
was composed of rangers from Lancaster and Cumber- 
land counties, and about five hundred regulars, who 
wei"e worn-out veterans, unfit for hard service, some 
having to be conveyed in wagons. Starting from Car- 



THE COLONIAL PERIOD 



93 



lisle July 21, he marched by way of Fort Bedford and 
Fort Ligoiiier. On August 5, within a short distance of 
Bushy Run, near Braddock's Field, the Indians made 
a savage attack on his advance guard; and when the 
main army came up, a fierce battle ensued, lasting the 
greater part of two days. Nothing but a strategy saved 
Colonel Bouquet's troops from being annihilated. In 
the night he arranged them in a circle. He then ordered 
a feigned retreat to be made at the place of the enemy's 
deadliest fire. The Indians rushed into the circle in 
pursuit of the retreating lines, but at once received such 
a fire from all directions that they fled beyond the Ohio 
in the utmost confusion. 

Bouquet now led his tired army to Fort Pitt, and in 
])lace of the old fort, began to erect a redoubt— a scjuare 
stone building, which is still 
standing. It is the last monu- 
ment of British dominion in 
Pittsburg. On it is the inscrip- 
tion, 'Colonel Bouquet, A. D. 
17()4." 

The Indians withdrew beyond 
the Ohio, and for some months 
after the battle of Bushy Run, 
the frontier of Pennsylvania 
was comparatively quiet. The raid made upon the 
Conestoga Indians (see p. 43) especially had a whole- 
some effect upon the savages. But with the first ap- 
]:)earance of spring, in 1764, hostilities were renewed. 
The British government now resolved to carry the war 




Bouquet's Redoubt at 
Fort Pitt 



94 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

into the Indian country. Bouquet marched bravely into 
the wilderness of Ohio, completely overawed the Inchans, 
and made them sue for peace. 

The Indians had to give up all the white prisoners — 
more than two hundred in number — many of whom had 
been in captivity since 1755. Some of the soldiers had 
relatives and friends among the captives, and the re- 
union was a touching scene. Many of the children had 
become so attached to Indian life that they had to be 
taken back to their homes by force. A few, who had 
married Indians, never returned, Those who could not 
be identified at Fort Pitt were brought to Carlisle, in 
the hope that people east of the mountains might claim 
them. It was here that the old German widow, Mrs. 
Hartman, caused her long-lost daughter to recognize 
her by singing a cradle song. 



CHAPTER VI 
THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 

The Stamp Act. In 1704 Parliament announced a 
new doctrine of taxation for the colonies. It was to the 
effect that in the future revenue for the king's use would 
be raised in the American colonies by Parliament. Before 
that time the colonies had raised, through their own 
legislatures, taxes for the king's use. A bill embodying 
this doctrine of ''taxation without representation" was 
passed by Parliament in March, 1765. This was the 
famous Stamp Act. No sooner had the news reached 
America than the Stamp Act Congress was called to 
meet at New York, in order that the colonies might 
protest against such taxation. 

John Hughes, a member of the Assembly, was made 
stamp distributor for Pennsylvania; but when the bells 
were muffled, the colors hoisted half-mast, and acts of 
violence threatened, he resigned. A Philadelphia news- 
paper appeared the day before the act went into effect, 
with skull and crossbones, spade and shovel. The editor 
of the paper then stopped publication and asked for the 
payment of subscriptions due him, that he might live. 
The storekeepers resolved to buy no more British goods. 
To increase the product of domestic wool, lambs were no 
longer killed. Great economy was practiced; even the 
" pomp of woe " at funerals was checked. Such were the 

95 



96 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



results accomplished in Pennsylvania by the Sons of 
Liberty, in opposition to the Stamp Act; and when news 
of its repeal reached Philadelphia, they were in high glee 
over the victory. They dined the captain of the brig 
bringing the news, and presented a gold-laced hat to him. 
Taxation on imports. In 1767 Parliament passed an 
act providing for colonial revenue, to be raised from a 



< 

1 



The TIMES are 

Ortatrul. 

DiTmsl 

IDoIeful 

Dolonut, an<t 




TtMr«Y,<M7.to-)i. 17SS THE NUMa .195, 

PENNSYLVANIA JOURNAL; 





WI 


LE K LY 


ADVERTISER. 


^ 


EXPIRING: In 


Hopes of » Refurrection to Li»r again. 



OM hnj to be obliged 1 
A ao^tuinl mf R«aJ- 1 
in, (htl u TheSTAM». 1 
ftcT. .sfcaf'diobeob.] 
ignofy . upon u> »fier 1 
lhe7,V/r#/ flevfbtr en- 
'uing, (\hefmfntmtr. 
ptw) t>w PubUlhtref UtU Paper uiwble 10 ; 



I bear lb* Burthen, has thought it expedient 
TOiToP « while, lit order lodeltberete, wh< 
iheranyMethodiun befoundio dude the 
Cheins forged for ue, end efeape Ihc infup< 
porteble Sleverjr ) which it u hoped, from 
the Ian Bcpretenistioru ncm made <gdinf( 
that AA, m«x be effefled Mun while, 
I nuA ewneAly RequeA e>V7 Indrviduel 



f my Subfcnben men> of alMm hiv* 
been \orig behind Hand, thai they weuld 
immediately Difcharge their refpufve Ar 
rert that I may be able, not onljr to 
fupDort mjrfelf dunng the Interval, but 
be beUer prepared to preeeed again with 
Ihit Paper, whenever en opening ibr that 
Purpole eppeart. whith 1 hope Mill be 
ibon WILLIAM SRAOFORD. ■ 



A Newspaper Heading at the Time ov the Stamp Act 

duty on wine, oil, glass, paper, lead, colors, and tea, to 
be collected at the ports of entry. The proceeds were 
to be used to pay the governors' and judges' salaries in 
the royal provinces. John Dickinson, in the "Letters 
of a Pennsylvania Farmer," stirred the colonists from 
New Hampshire to Georgia with his simple, irresistible 
logic against these duties. The farmers especially — and 
they were by far the most numerous class of people then 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 97 

— were thoroughly aroused from their pohtical sleep by 
Dickinson. He pointed out that if England could tax 
the colonies for the support of governors and judges, the 
salaries of th(\s(> officers would no longer depend on their 
standing with the Assemblies, but would be fixed by the 
king to s(n-ve his own ends; that the governors might not 
call the Assemblies together at all, except " to make laws 
for the yoking of hogs or the pounding of stray cattle." 
The tax on tea. The duties imposed by the act of 
1767 were removed in 1770 from everything but tea, 
which was taxed threepence per iwund. This act gave 
rise to the so-called "tea parties." The East India 
Company sent several vessels loaded with tea to the 
colonies, but it was not allowed to be landed. At Phila- 
delphia, the ships "with the detested tea" got as far as 
Gloucester Point, where they were met by a committee 
from a mass meeting of eight thousand people, assembled 
in the State House yard. The captain was warned not 
to bring his ships nearer, but was himself allowed to 
come to town and decide whether he thought it prudent 
to land. He came, but decided not to land. On the 
following page is a facsimile of the notice sent to the 
coUvsignees. 

An appeal from Massachusetts. When the Boston 
Port l^ill ^ was passed by Parliament in 1774, Massa- 
chusetts felt that she could no longer resist Great Britain 
without the help of the other colonies. Pennsylvania, 
being next to Virginia and equal to Massachusetts in 

1 Consult a United States history to learn about the Port Bill 
and other details of this period. 

7 



98 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

population, was sure to influence the middle colonies by 
her action, as the other two did their neighbors; conse- 
quently it was important that she should respond 
promptly and vigorously to the cry from Boston. So in 
May, 1774, Paul Revere came to Philadelphia to explain 
the situation. He was received at a public meeting held 
in the City Tavern. Speeches were made and a letter 
was drawn up to be carried to Boston by Revere. The 

j,^ -^-..-... ...4iq 

: A G A R D. 

♦ ^T^HE PUBLIC prefent their Compliments to MelTicurs 

J X JAMES AND DF-"NKER.— -We are informed that you 

I have this Day received your Commiftion to cnflave your native 

i Country, and, as your frivolous Plea of having received no 

I Advice, rdativc to the fc&ndalous Part you -were to aA, in the 

i TeA'Scheme, can rto longer ferve your Purpofe, nor divert our 

i* Attention, we «xp«<ft And defire yoo will immediately inform 
the Public, by a Line or two to be left at theCoFFXX House, 

j ■Whether tov will, or will not, renounce all Prctcnfions to 

1 execute that Commiflion? that "WE MAY govern our- 

I SELVES ACCORQIKGLY. 

j Pbiladelfbid^ Lkcember a, 1773. I 

'\ \ ^ _^ Jji| 

VCj- ■ ^^"" -" ' '■■ ■' ■ ' ■ ■ >^^ 

letter, and a set of resolutions accompanying it, defended 
the right of the colonies to give and grant their own 
money through their own Assemblies; the Boston Port 
Bill was denounced, and deep sympathy expressed for 
Massachusetts; and a colonial congress was recommended. 
Copies were sent to the other colonies, in order that a 
united effort might be made throughout America to 
let Great Britain know that a principle is far too dear 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 99 

to be abandoned by the payment of a petty tax on 
tea. 

The people organize. Another and a larger meetnig 
was held June 28, in the State House. Stirring resolu- 
tions were again passed, similar to the others; the 
governor was asked to call the Assembly together; a 
congress of all the colonies was again recommended; 
and a committee was appointed to correspond with 
similar committees then organizing in the other counties 
of the province. Governor Penn having declined to call 
the Assembly, these committees were to be the nucleus 
of a new organization in the movement against the 
oppressive acts of England. Meetings were held through- 
out the province "to take the sentiments of the inhab- 
itants." Those who favored the liberty party were called 
AMiigs, and those whose sympathies were with Great 
Britain were called Tories. 

The First Continental Congress. The Assembly was 
asked to appoint delegates "to attend a Congress of 
Deputies from the several colonies." The men appointed 
were Josej)!! Galloway, Samuel Rhoads, Thomas Mifflin, 
and John Dickinson, of Philadelphia; John Morton, of 
Chester; Charles Humphreys, of Haverford; George Ross, 
of Lancaster, and Edward Biddle, of Reading. These 
were Pennsylvania's delegates to wliat has since been 
known as the First Continental Congress, whose sessions 
were held in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, Septem- 
ber 5 to October 26. Dickinson was the leading 
man among them. Of the six papers drawn up by 
the Congress, he was the author of two — the famous 



100 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

petition to the king, and the address to the people of 
Canada. 

On the third day, the Congress was opened with 
prayer, after Samuel Adams had silenced the objections 
of Jay and Rutledge by declaring: "I am no bigot; I 
can hear a prayer from a man of piety and virtue, who is 
at the same time a friend to his countr}^" The man 
named for this sacred duty was Rev. Jacob Duche, 
rector of Christ Church, and first chaplain of the Second 
Continental Congress. News had just been received of 
a bloody attack on the people by the troops at Boston; 
and as the collect for the day was read, the members of 
Congress believed that a rude soldiery was then infesting 
the dwellings and taking the lives of the people of Boston. 
Heaven itself seemed to dictate the words of Scripture, 
the thirty-fifth Psalm, that memorable morning: 

Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: 
fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of shield 
and buckler, and stand up for mine help. . . . 

Carpenters' HaU. Carpenters' Hall was built in 1770 
by the Carpenters' Company, an organization formed 
for giving instruction in architecture and assisting the 
widows and children of poor members. After the meet- 
ings of the First Congress, the building was occupied by 
various bodies representing the province. The British 
occupied it in 1777, the soldiers using the vane on the 
cupola for target practice. The First and Second United 
States Banks both transacted business within its walls 
for several years. Later it served in all sorts of ca- 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 101 

pacities — as customhouse, land office, music hall, meet- 
inghouse, schoolhouse, horse market, furniture store. In 
1857 the Carpenters again took possession of their an- 
cient hall, and have since kept it open as an historic 
relic. Half a million people visited the time-honored 
l)uilding during the Centennial Exhibition, in 1876. 

The Assembly ratifies the Acts of Congress. The re- 
port of tlie proceedings of the First Continental Congress 
was unanimously adopted by the Pennsylvania Assembly 
early in December; and the province thus became a mem- 
ber of the American Association designed to enforce 
non-importation and non-consumption of British goods. 
Biddle, Dickinson, Mifflin, Galloway, Humphreys, Mor- 
ton, and Ross were elected delegates to the Second 
Continental Congress, to meet May 10, 1775. Franklin, 
on arriving from his ten years' sojourn in England, in 
the spring of 1775, was at once added to the delega- 
tion to take the place of Galloway, who would not 
serve. 

Redress of grievances sought. Pennsylvania's instruc- 
tions to her delegates in the Second Congress were that 
they should combine, if possible, a redress of griev- 
ances with ''union and harmony between Great Britain 
and the colonies." In this position Pennsylvania was 
not alone; for the Americans generally had not yet given 
up the hope of reconciliation. Independence seemed 
probable, but not inevitable. Franklin, however, sup- 
ported the boldest measures. " Make yourselves sheep," 
he would say, '' and the wolves will devour you." Dick- 
inson favored a second petition to the king, and drafted 



102 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

it; but the king "determined to listen to nothing from 
the illegal Congress.'' 

A Continental army formed. On June 14, 1775, Con- 
gress resolved to raise a Continental army. Its first 
levy was for "six companies of expert riflemen to be 
raised in Pennsylvania, two in Maryland, and tw() in 
Virginia." A few days later two more companies were 
ordered from Pennsylvania. Many persons declined to 
perform militai'y duty on the ground of conscientious 
scruples. All such wTre to contribute an equivalent 
in money for military service. The eight companies of 
volunteer riflemen, called by Congress, were raised with- 
out any diflficulty. Lancaster County furnished two 
instead of one, and so there were nine altogether. They 
marched for Boston as soon as they were organized. 
On July 1<S, Nagel's Berks County "Dutchmen"— the 
first comjoany to be ready — arrived at Boston, and 
within less than sixty days from the date of the call of 
Congress, th(^ riflemen of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and 
Virginia were all with Washington — the first troops 
called into the Continental army. 

The Assembly tested. In April, the Assembly renewed 
its instructions to the Pennsylvania delegates in Con- 
gress not to give their consent to a separation or a change 
of the proprietary government. But Congress, Ma}^ 15, 
recommended state governments in the colonies, and 
declared that all authority under the Crown should be 
totally suppressed; and on June 7, Richard Henry Lee 
in Congress proposed the independence of the colonies. 
The next da}^ the Peimsylvania Assembly gave to its 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 103 

delegates instructions which neither advised nor forbade 
a declaration of independence, but left the question to 
their "abihty, prudence and integrity." This doubtful 
action proved the end of the Proprietary Assembly; 
once only did it again have a (juorum of its members. 
Instead of allowing the state government to be formed 
by members of an Assembly sworn to support the king, 
the people called a provincial convention for that pur- 
pose. 

Lee*s resolution for independence adopted. When, on 
the first of July, the vote on Lee's resolution for independ- 
ence was to be taken, the Pennsylvania delegation then 
in Congress and present that day — Franklin, Dickinson, 
Morris, Wilson, Morton, Humphreys, and Willing — were 
divided, and cast their vote against it. Dickinson made 
a great speech, the burden of which was that the time 
was not yet ripe for such an important step. Wilson, 
who had held the same view before, could now no longer 
agree with Dickinson. Two other states — Delaware and 
8out h ( arolina— voted nay; while New York, whose dele- 
gates did not receive favorable instructions till after the 
ado])tion of the d(H*laration, did not vote at all. The 
next day Delaware voted aye; so did South Carolina. 
1 )elaware's vote was changed by Ciesar Rodney, who rode 
eighty miles on horseback to vote for independence. 
Dickinson and Morris remaining away, Pennsylvania (by 
the vote of Franklin, Wilson, and Morton, against Hum- 
phreys and Willing) was also enabled to say aye on ''the 
greatest question ever debated in America or ever decided 
amonir men." 



104 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

The Declaration of Independence. The question of 
independence was decided on the second day of July, 
1776, but this date was not destined to become "the 
most memorable epoch in the history of America.'' It 
was the fourth day of July when Congress passed Jef- 
ferson's Declaration of Independence, in which he set 
forth the reasons for the act of the second of July. On 
July 8th, the Declaration of Independence was read in 




The Interior of Independence Hall 
The Room in Which the Declaration of Independence Was Signed 

the State House yard. At the same time the king's arms 
were taken from the court room and jjublicly burned, 
while merry chimes from the church steeples and peals 
from the State House bell "proclaimed liberty through- 
out the land." 

The Declaration had to be engrossed, and so the docu- 
ment was not signed until August 2. As Dickinson, 
Humphreys, and Willing had in the meantime been 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 105 

succeeded in Congress by other men, their names do not 
appear among the signers of Pennsylvania, who were 
Benjamin Frankhn, Robert Morris, Dr. Benjamin Rush, 
and George Clymer, of Philadelphia; George Ross, of 
Lancaster; James Smith, of York; James Wilson, of 
Cumberland; George Taylor, of Northampton, and John 
Morton, of Chester County. 

Washington's retreat to Pennsylvania. Scarcely had 
the peals of the Liberty Bell cUed out in the remote parts 
of the country, when the drums of Washington's army 
sounded the retreat across New Jersey, in the fall of 1776. 
Pennsylvania was in consternation. Liberal bounties 
were offered to volunteers; blankets and stockings were 
begged for the soldiers; the militia of Philadelphia and 
the counties around it were urged to join the army; and 
aimed boats were sent to Trenton to transport W^ash- 
ington's troops across the Delaware. In the midst of this 
excitement. Congress fled to Baltimore. But Pennsyl- 
vania's Committee of Safety cooperated with Washing- 
ton, calling on every patriot ''to step forth at this crisis" 
and reinforce the small and disheartened army of less than 
three thousand men. The militia of Bucks, Northamp- 
ton, and adjoining counties answered the call promptly. 
Washington recrosses the Delaware. After crossing the 
Delaware on his retreat, Washington made his head- 
quarters at Newtown, Bucks County, while his army 
was stationed eight miles above Trenton, at McConkey's 
Ferry, near Taylorsville. The Pennsylvania militia were 
stationed at Bristol, under Cadwalader, and at Morris- 
ville, opposite Trenton, under Ewing. Some troops were 



106 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

also stationed at Yardleyville and other points up the 
river. Washington planned that on the night of Decem- 
ber 2oth a combined attack on Trenton should be made 
by himself, Ewing, and Cadwalader. Ewing, owing to 
the ice in the river, made no attempt to cross it. Cad- 
walader, with honest zeal, tried it; some of the men got 
over, but the horses and artillery could not reach land 
on account of the ice. After suffering in a driving snow- 
storm for some hours, Cadwalader and his men returned 
to camp and crept into their tents, without fire or light. 
The story of Washington's crossing the Delaware is fa- 
miliar to every schoolboy. Before night on the 26th he 
had landed again in Pennsylvania with his thousand 
Hessian prisoners and started them on their way to 
Philadelphia, whence they were sent to Lancaster and 
confined in barracks erected for the purpose. 

Events of 1777. The year 1777 was to be a memora- 
ble one for Pennsylvania. Many patriotic and heroic 
deeds such as that of Robert Morris in Philadelphia on 
New Year's morning, and John Kelley at Stony Greek 
on January 3 (see page 230), were done before it closed. 
Morris went from house to house in Philadelphia, rous- 
ing the people out of bed, to borrow money of them. 
Early in the day he sent Washington 150,000, with the 
message: "Whatever I can do shall be done for the good 
of the service; if further occasional supplies of money 
are necessary, you may depend on my exertions, either 
in a public or a private capacity." During the summer 
the Whigs arrested some forty Tories. About half of 
them signed their parole, promising not to say or do 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 107 

anything against the United States, and then were dis- 
charged. John Penn, the late governor, refused to make 
this promise, and he was confined at Fredericksburg, 

Virginia. 

Howe approaches Philadelphia. The expected attack 
on Philadelphia was set on foot by General Howe at 
New York, July 5, 1777, when he embarked his troops. 
On arriving at the capes of Delaware, he learned of the 
obstructions {chevaux-de-frise) placed in the Delaware 
by Pennsylvania's Committee of 
Safety, and resolved to enter the 
state by way of Chesapeake Bay, 
anchoring his fleet in Elk River, 
fifty-four miles from Philadelphia. 

Congress, which had returned ^1 
from Baltimore, called on the '^^ 
state for 4,000 miUtia. Wash- 
ington reached Philadelphia Au- ^^^^ ^^^^^ American 
oust 24, and led his troops, deco- Flag 

^ated with sprays of green and As ^^'^^^^^^^^ 
carrying the Amencan flag tor 
the first time, througli tlie streets of Pliiladelphia, to 
encourage the patriots. Here the young Marquis de 
Lafayette joined the army, to be wounded m his first 
battle. Washington hastened on to meet the enemy. 
By a secret movement, he took position on the high 
grounds above Chadd's Ford, on the nortli side of the 
Brandywine, directly in Howe's path. 

The defeat at Brandywine. Early on the morning 
of September U, the British, with a small part of their 




108 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

army under Knyphausen, tried to make Washington 
believe that they intended to cross the Brandywine at 
Chadd's Ford. But he received information that their 
main body, under Howe and CornwalhS; would cross the 
river at a ford higher up. 80 he sent word to General 
Sullivan, second in command, to meet Howe and Corn- 
wallis and hold them in check, while he himself would 
defeat Knyphausen first and then join the attack on 
the main body of the enemy. Just as AVashington was 
about to attack Knyphausen, a message came from Sul- 
livan that the British were not coming from the north, 
and that therefore he had disobeyed orders. But Wash- 
ington had been correctly informed. Howe had crossed 
the Brandywine above the forks at Trimble's and Jef- 
feris' fords, and soon fell upon Sullivan above the Bir- 
mingham meetinghouse. 

Washington, leaving General Wayne to oppose Knyp- 
hausen at Chadd's Ford, hastened to the assistance of 
Sullivan; but this general had already given way to the 
unexpected attack of the British and was in retreat. 
When Washington came up, his own troops at first fell 
in with the fleeing soldiers of Sullivan; but Greene's 
corps, which included a division of Pennsylvanians fight- 
ing on their native soil, was finally planted in a position 
where it could hold its ground against the British till 
nightfall. General Wayne made a gallant stand against 
Knyphausen; but the defeat of the American right wing 
compelled him at last to retreat and abandon his cannon 
to the Hessian commanded'. General Greene was the 
last to quit the field, when darkness made further resist- 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 109 

ance impossible. Washington's army retreated to Ches- 
ter that night, and the next day to Germantown. 

Consternation in Philadelphia. Howe's success on the 
Brandy wine aroused much fear in Philadelphia and its 
vicinity. Church bells were sunk in the river or carried 
away. The Liberty Bell was hidden under the floor 
of Zion's Reformed church, in Allentown; the state 
archives were carried to Easton; and the state govern- 
ment was removed to Lancaster. The members of Con- 
gress rose in the night and fled to Lancaster, and thence 
to York. The wounded in battle were sent to Ephrata 
and other places, and Lafayette was cared for by the 
Moravians at Bethlehem. Many of the farmers, with 
their families and their horses and cattle, sought safety 
in the outlying counties. To prevent the British from 
entering Philadelphia before another blow could be 
struck, the floating bridges on the Schuylkill were re- 
moved. 

The massacre at Paoli. As soon as Washington had 
supplied his army at Germantown with provisions and 
ammunition, he recrossed the Schuylkill, followed the 
Lancaster turnpike, and met the British at W^arren Tav- 
ern, a little west of Paoli; but a heavy rain drenched the 
cartridges, and he had to retire. He left General Wayne 
with 1,500 men near Paoli, to fall upon and destroy 
Howe's baggage. The British learned of Wayne's posi- 
tion, and made a sudden attack on the camp in the dead 
of night. With the cry of ''no quarter," they bay- 
oneted the Americans. Some of the victims passed 
from the sleep of night into the sleep of eternity without 



no A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

waking. The loss was heavy to bear, and opened the 
way to Philadelphia for the British. 

Howe takes Philadelphia. The massacre of Paoli oc- 
curred on the night of September 20. By several skilful 
maneuvers, General Howe, a few nights later, crossed 
the Schuylkill below Valley Forge and took possession 
of Philadelphia. The American army, too weak to offer 
resistance, encamped at Skippack Creek, north of Ger- 
man town. The fact that Washington did not prevent 
Howe from crossing the Schuylkill was the chief ground 
on which, the following winter, his enemies sought to 
have him removed from command of the army. Even 
John Adams cried out in despair after the massacre at 
Paoli: " 0, Heaven grant us one great soul! One leading 
mind would extricate the best cause from that ruin 
which seems to await it!" 

Howe constructed a line of redoubts from the Dela- 
ware to the Schuylkill, along the present lines of Poplar, 
Green, and Callowhill streets. He also posted a strong 
force at Germantown, extending from the mouth of the 
Wissahickon to the Old York Road. 

The battle of Germantown. Washington broke camp 
on the evening of October 3, and arrived at Germantown 
at three o'clock on the morning of the 4th. General 
Armstrong with the Pennsylvania militia moved along 
the banks of the Schuylkill, to fall upon the Hessians 
at the mouth of the AVissahickon. Wayne and Sullivan 
went down the main street of Germantown to attack the 
British at Market Square. Greene followed a round- 
about route by way of the Lime Kiln road, to attack the 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 



111 



right wing of the enemy and drive them in upon the 
center at the same time that Wayne and SuUivan should 
attack them in the front. 

The battle was to begin on all quarters precisely at 
five o'clock. Armstrong could not drive the Hessians 
from their position and get in the rear of the British 
center, as was intended. Wayne and Sullivan, how- 
ever, forced Howe's center at Market Square into con- 
fusion, so that the British commander had to cry, ''For 
shame, light infantry! 
I never saw you re- 
treat before. Form! 
form! It is only a 
scouting party." Tlie 
British Colonel Mus 
grove quickly took 
possession of the large 
and strong stone man- 
sion of Chief Justice 

Chew, and used it as a fort to check the advance of 
Wayne, whose memories of Paoli found expression in 
the cry, "Have it at the bloodhounds! Revenge! 
Revenge!" Not willing "to leave an enemy in a fort 
in the rear," the Americans tried in vain to set the 
mansion on fire and batter it down with cannon balls. 
This diverson gave the British time to form for battle 
and get reinforcements from Philadelphia. 

When Greene arrived, almost an hour late, he was 
outflanked, and after fifteen minutes of heavy firing was 
driven back. Though Washington had placed a regi- 




The Chew Mansion at Germantown 



112 A SHORT HLSTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

ment around Chew's maii.siun, with orders not to cannon- 
ade it again, one of Greene's divisions opened fire on it 
once more. As this occurred in the rear of Wayne's 
division, he mistook it for the enemy's fire, and retreated 
in haste. An early morning fog added greatly to the 
confusion. At about half-})ast eight Washington, see- 
ing that the day was lost, ordered a retreat, which was 
made in perfect order, to Perkiomen Creek. 

The loss of the forts on the Delaware. The forts and 
vessels commanding the Delaware were next attacked by 
General Howe, in order to get the fleet under his brother. 
Admiral Howe, to Philadelphia. There were three 
forts — Mifflin, Mercer, and Billingsport. Between these 
forts were stretched the chevaux-de-frise, and above lay 
the American fleet. Billingsport had l^een abandoned 
to the enemy before the battle of Germantown, and on 
October 22 a body of Hessians, aided by the British 
fleet, made an assault on Fort Mercer. They were 
repulsed, with the loss of 400 men. Howe's men-of-war 
were equally unsuccessful, having been driven down the 
river by Commodore Hazlewood's Pennsylvania state 
fleet. 

The attack on Fort Mifflin was heroically resisted for 
six long days and nights, until palisades, parapets, and 
blockhouses had been leveled to the ground, and 250 
of its 300 defenders had been killed and wounded. The 
fort was then burned and the garrison removed to Red 
Bank. With the fall of Fort Mifflin, Fort Mercer had 
to be abandoned also. The state fleet succeeded in 
steahng past the city at night into the upper waters of 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 113 

the Delaware; but the Continental fleet was less fortu- 
nate, and had to be set on fire and burned. 

The Battle of the Kegs. Admiral Howe's fleet now 
came up the Delaware and took a position in front of 
Philadelphia. On January 5, 1778, the men of the Penn- 
sylvania fleet executed a scheme to destroy it. ^A num- 
ber of machines resembling kegs were prepared at 
Burlington and i:)laced in the river, to l)C carried down 
by the current. The kegs had spring locks so contrived 
as to explode on coming in contact with a vessel. Unfor- 
tunately the British fleet kei)t close to the wharves to 
avoid the ice. As the kegs moved past the city, broad- 
side after broadside was hurled at them. Every chip, 
stick, and drift-log felt the vigor of the British guns. 
The affair was most ludicrous. Erancis Hopkinson 
ridiculed it in a ballad entitled ^'The Battle of the 

Kegs." 

The winter at Valley Forge. Washington chose the 
defensive in his strong cam}) at White Marsh. Here he 
was attacked by Howe, December 4. After a skirmish 
with the Pennsylvania militia and a sharp action at Edge 
Hill, the British retired to Philadelphia without "driv- 
ing General Washington over the Blue Mountain," as 
Howe had threatened to do. And then began a chapter 
in Pennsylvania history whose events make the spot on 
which they occurred most sacred. Valley Forge! The 
American army reached this place about December 19. 
It is a deep, rugged hollow on the west side of the Schuyl- 
kill, about' six miles above Norristown. The soldiers 
were too poorly clad to live in tents; so huts, sixteen by 
8 



114 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



fourteen feet, in the form of a village, were made with 
logs, and twelve men were assigned to each cabin. 

Washington reported that when the army went into 
camp at Valley Forge " no less than 2,898 men were unfit 
for duty because they were barefoot and otherwise 
naked." They often sat up all night by the fires to keep 
warm. There was a scarcity of provisions, the soldiers 
being without meat or bread for days at a time. Wash- 
ington had to issue a proclamation, commanding that 

one half of the grain in 
store within seventy 
miles of his camp 
should be threshed 
out before the first 
of February and the 
other half before the 
first of March. The 
British gold at Phila- 
delphia was more de- 
sirable than the Con- 
tinental bills, and therefore many farmers sent their 
provisions to Howe. Horses and wagons being scarce, 
the patriots yoked themselves to little wagons of their 
own making, or, like beggars, carried their wood and 
provisions on the back. Even straw to lay on the cold, 
wet earth in the cabins was wanting. There was no lack 
of provisions and clothing in the country; but by mis- 
management in Congress the army was not supplied 
with them. 

Washington felt most keenly for his men, a fact well 




Washington's Headquarters at 
Valley Forge 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 115 

attested by the prayer which went up from his head- 
ciuarters in the house of Isaac Potts. Added to these 
trials, were the famous plot of General Conway, the 
attempt to ahenate Lafayette, and the clamor of Con- 
gress and the Pennsylvania Assembly that he should 
drive the British out of Philadelphia. But Washington 
stood faithfully by his men as they lay helpless and 
groaning in Valley Forge. 

Howe's winter in Philadelphia. While the Americans 
were experiencing all this suffering, Howe's army had 
one long round of pleasure in Philadelphia. The days 
were spent in pastime and the nights in entertainments. 
As Franklin said, "Howe did not take Philadelphia- 
Philadelphia took Howe." The officers played cricket 
and had cockfights. A theater was established on South 
Street. Major Andre painted the curtain, and was the 
soul of the enterprise. Quite different was the lot of the 
American prisoners of war in Walnut Street jail! The 
treatment they received was cruel, the food was not fit 
for swine, and the dead were tumbled into pits in 
Washington Square. 

In the spring Howe was superseded by Chnton; and 
the officers gave a grand fete to the departing General. 
It was the famous mischianza— ''a combination of the 
regatta, the tournament, the banquet, and the ball." 
It was held at the country seat of Thomas Wharton in 
Southwark, and began in the afternoon of May 18 with 
a grand regatta, which started down the Delaware from 
the foot of Green Street and landed at the foot of Wash- 
ino-ton Avenue. Here the procession of gay officers, 



116 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

beautiful ladies, and prominent citizens, headed l)y all 
the bands of the army, formed in line and marched 
between grenadiers and troopers up the slope to Whar- 
ton's mansion. Then followed a tournament. The 
festivities of the evening consisted of dancing, faro, 
fireworks, and feasting! And it lasted until the sun 
came up over the Jerseys. 

Once, while this revelry was at its height, the sound 
of cannon was heard in the north. The British officers 
explained to their frightened partners in the dance that 
it was a part of the ceremony. But it was not. A 
dashing fellow from Washington's army, hearing of the 
mischianza, took a squad of men in the darkness to the 
line of redoubts between the Delaware and the Schuyl- 
kill, i)ainted everything within reach with tar, and at a 
given signal set it on fire. The flames that shot up all 
along Poplar Street startled Howe's army, and every can- 
non from river to river was fired. The British cavalry 
dashed out into the night, but the daring Americans 
were nowhere to be found. 

Philadelphia evacuated by the British. Six days after 
this pageant of folly, Sir Henry Clinton decided to evac- 
uate Philadelphia. The British learned that the Ameri- 
can ca])ital was not of much importance to them after 
all. The Congress had fled on wheels, and Pennsyl- 
vania had remained loyal to the colonial cause. Wash- 
ington's army, now thoroughly drilled by Baron 
Steuben, a Prussian officer who had come to Valley 
Forge in February, became a source of danger to 
the British. Besides, a French fleet was on the way 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 117 

to New York, and that city required the presence of 
Chnton. 

Just before the evacuation, on the IStli of June, three 
peace commissioners from England arrived in Philadel- 
phia, and were wilhng to gratify "every wish that 
America had expressed." But it was too late. Franklin 
and his associates had secured an alliance with France; 
and the American Congress refused to entertain such 
propositions. It is said that Joseph Reed, one of Penn- 
sylvania's delegates in Congress, was offered 10,000 
pounds sterhng and the best office in the colonies if he 
would promote the plans for peace ; but that he promptly 
rephed: "I am not worth purchasing; but such as I am, 
the king of Great Britain is not rich enough to do it." 

Clinton's army crossed the Delaware at Camden and 
Gloucester, New Jersey, in great haste; while the fleet, 
with several thousand Tory refugees and all their 
possessions on board, floated slowly down the bay. 
''The sky sparkled with stars; the air of the summer 
night was soft and tranciuil, as the exiles, broken in 
fortune and without a career, went with despair from 
the only city they could love." 

After the evacuation. Washington moved his army 
out of \'alley Forge, followed Chnton, and soon after- 
ward fought the battle of Monmouth, where MoUie 
Pitcher, of Carlisle, made herself famous. General 
Arnold was put in command of Philadel})hia, to prevent 
the disorders that were expected when the Whigs would 
return. Congress came back from York June 25, and 
the state government from Lancaster the next day. 



118 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

President Wharton having died, George Bryan, vice- 
president of the Supreme Executive Council, performed 
the duties of the president. 

The Whigs now began to punish the Tories. The 
Assembly passed an ''act for the attainder of divers 
traitors," among whom were Joseph Galloway, Rev. 
Jacob Duche, and the Aliens. The Quakers and the 
German sects were special objects of suspicion because 
they thought it wrong to take up arms. Active measures 
were taken for the trial of all persons accused of high 
treason; but only a few were executed. The excitement 
during the trial ran high; and Benedict Arnold, who him- 
self was afterwards court-martialed for lawless conduct 
while in command of Philadelphia, was not able to re- 
press the disorder that arose. He speculated in govern- 
ment contracts, grew rich, and associated with the aris- 
tocracy, marrying one of its daughters, the beautiful 
Peggy Shippen, before ''he fled from incjuiry." 

The Wyoming massacre. The year 1778 is remembered 
in Pennsylvania by one other event — the Wyoming 
massacre. After Burgoyne's surrender at Saratoga, the 
British organized the Tories and Indians to make war 
upon the frontiers of New York, Pennsylvania, and Vir- 
ginia. It was assumed, and correctly, that the Ameri- 
cans could give little attention to the frontier, because 
all their available forces would be required to oppose 
Howe after he had entered Pennsylvania. So the savages 
were set loose like hounds to murder and devastate. 

In the month of June the people of Wyoming became 
aware of the approach of a large force of Tories and 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 119 

Indians under Colonel John Butler. An appeal for help 
was made to Congress, as nearly all the able-bodied men 
of Wyoming were in the Continental army; but no help 
came. So when the enemy appeared in the valley, 
Colonel Zebulon Butler, of the Revolutionary army, who 
was home on a furlough, had only about three hundred 
raw recruits to oppose the enemy. Many people, with 
their families, had collected at Forty Fort, a little above 
the present site of Kingston. Here, on the third of July, 
Colonel Zebulon Butler, with Colonel Dennison second 
in command, started with his little band to meet a force 
three times as large. 

The engagement began late in the afternoon. At first 
the fight was spirited on both sides, but the men of Wy- 
oming could not long resist the superior numbers. An 
order to fall back to a better position was misunderstood 
as a signal for retreat. The enemy then sprang forward, 
sounded the war whoop from one end of the line to the 
other, rushed in with tomahawk and spear, and defeated 
the band of heroic farmers. Only about fifty escaped, 
and those who did not fall in battle were put to death on 
the field in the most cruel manner. The refugees in 
Forty Fort, consisting of old men, women, and children, 
were allowed to depart to their homes. 

The Indians soon began to rob, burn, plunder, and 
destroy in every direction, in spite of an agreement that 
they would not. In a week or ten days these depreda- 
tions became so numerous and heartrending that all the 
settlers who could get away, fled. Some went to Sun- 
bury; others to New York and Connecticut; but most 



120 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

of them took refuge in the wilderness of the Pokono 
Mountains, and finally reached Stroudsburg. Those who 
sought safety in these mountains had nothing to eat 
except whortleberries. Some perished in a great swamp, 
which has ever since been known as The Shades of 
Death. 

Other frontier massacres. The Wyoming massacre 
w^as not the only one in Pennsylvania in the war of the 
Revolution. From 1777 to 1784, the frontiers of the 
state w^ere one vast region of bloody massacres. Im- 
mediately after that of Wyoming, the wild, precipitate 
flight, known as the Great Runaway, occurred in the val- 
ley of the West Branch. All summer the tomahaw^k and 
scalping knife had been doing their deadly work there, 
and when the news of the massacre on the North Branch 
arrived, the West Branch above Sunbury and North- 
umberland was abandoned l^y the settlers. Boats, 
canoes, hog-troughs, rafts, and every sort of floating 
thing were crowded with women and children. The 
men came down in single file, on each side of the river, 
and acted as guards. Sunbury became a frontier town, 
and the country below — Harris' Ferry, Paxtang, and 
Middletown — was filled with the unfortunate refugees. 
Wilham Maclay wrote from Sunbury to I^hiladelphia, 
"For God's sake send us re-inforcements." Bedford 
and Westmoreland counties and the country about Pitts- 
burg were likewise sorely afflicted at tliis time. 

A regiment of Gontinental troops w^as dispatched 
from Valley Forge some time in the spring for the relief 
of the western frontier. Most of these soldiers had 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 121 

enlisted from beyond the mountains early in the war, and 
they were now glad to go back to defend their wives and 
children. The next year Sullivan's expedition started 
from Easton/ and marched by way of ^^^yoming into the 
country of the Six Nations in New York. He defeated 
an army of Tories and Indians, and destroyed many 
Indian villages. But the punishment had no lasting ef- 
fect. The ravages continued. Other expeditions were 
organized, notably at Fort Pitt; and the border warfare 
raged until 1784. 

Paper money troubles. The state, meanwhile, had 
issued much paj^er money, about four times as much 
as was needed for the transaction of business; and 
prices were high and fluctuating. These conditions were 
very favorable for speculators. A law was passed fixing 
the price of certain articles, in order to destroy specula- 
tion, and prohibiting the exportation of goods needed 
by the people. But these measures gave little relief. 
The militia at one time marched down Chestnut Street, 
posting placards against Morris, Wilson, and others sus- 
pected of being speculators. At Wilson's house they 
stopped and killed the captain of the guard, and broke 
into the hallway, where there was stabbing and clubbing. 

The abolition of slavery. The question of slavery, 
which had periodically disturbed the ruling class in 
Pennsylvania ever since the protest of Pastorius, came 
up for final settlement early in 1780. The Friends, in 
their quarterly and yearly meetings, had repeatedly 
advised against importing and purchasing negroes. As 
early as 1705, a duty was imposed on slave importation. 



122 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

In 1711 it was forbidden altogether, but England re- 
fused to let this order stand. The following year, upon 
petition ^'signed by many hands," the Assembly assessed 
20 pounds a head on imported negroes, thinking so high 
a duty would be prohibitory; but the act was vetoed by 
the Crown. A letter written by a merchant in 1715 to 
an importer in Jamaica says: "I must entreat you to 
send me no more negroes for sale, for our people don't 
care to buy them. They are generally against any com- 
ing into the country." 

Yet, in spite of all opposition, it was common before 
the Revolution to sell blacks of both sexes publicly at 
the coffeehouses in Philadelphia. Family servants were 
sent to jail to get their dozen lashes as pimishment. 
But the laws regulating their conduct and punishment 
were always humane. They enjoyed as much liberty as 
their masters, generally lived under the same roof, and 
were well fed and well clad. The final movement for the 
abolition of slavery was made in 1779 by the Supreme 
Executive Council, in their message to the Assembly: 

Honored will that state be in the annals of mankind which 
shall first abolish this violation of the rights of mankind; and 
the memories of those will be held in grateful and everiasting 
remembrance who shall pass the law to restore and establish 
the rights of human nature in Pennsylvania. 

On March 1, 17(S0, George Bryan, ex- vice-president of 
the state, now a member of the Assembly, presented a 
bill for the gradual abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania, 
and urged its passage with great earnestness. It passed 
by a vote of 34 to 21. By its operation there were 3,737 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 123 

slaves left in the state in 1790; 1,706 in 1800; 795 in 
1810; 211 in 1820; and 67 in 1830. 

The revolt at Morristown. The opening of the year 
1781 brought President Reed of the Pennsylvania Coun- 
cil face to face with a very serious problem. The Penn- 
sylvania Line, in Washington's army at Morristown, had 
for some time been dissatisfied with the treatment they 
were receiving at the hands of Congress. Some had been 
kept in the army beyond their time of enlistment; back 
pay was due to all; and the money they had received was 
worthless. On New Year's day the Line broke out into 
open revolt and left the camp for Princeton. Here they 
were met by two spies, who tried to induce them to join 
the British army; but these were handed over to Wash- 
ington and executed. 

When Wayne, their commander, met the Pennsyl- 
vanians at Princeton, he pro])osed that they reduce their 
grievances to writing. This being done, President Reed 
and a committee of Congress set out to meet the men. 
Before entering their camj), Reed sent a note to Wayne, 
asking whether it was safe for him to go within the 
picket line of the insurgents. Their committee replied 
that he need have no fear, that the whole Line was 
anxious to have him settle the unhappy affair. After a 
hard-fought battle of words, the difficulty was settled 
by Reed; and the Pennsylvania Line marched to Virginia 
to take a most honorable part in the closing battles of 
the Revolution. When offered a reward for delivering 
up the two spies, they refused it, saying: " Our necessities 
compelled us to demand justice from our government; 



124 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

we ask no reward for doing our duty to our country 
against its enemies." 

Complete exhaustion of the state. The revolt of the 
Pennsylvania Line at Morristown showed how com- 
pletely the resources of the state were exhausted. 
Pennsylvania was not only the residence of Congress, 
with all its train of attendants and officers, but the state 
was also the headquarters of the military brancli of the 
Continental government. From this region the quarter- 
master principally drew his wagons, his horses, his camp 
equipage of all kinds, besides a great number of wagoners 
and mechanics. Prisoners of war and state had been 
taken care of by Pennsylvania. All this was done at 
great expense to the state, and burdened it with a heavy 
load of debt. The substance of the people had been used, 
and in its place they had nothing but money made of 
rags. 

The end of the war. The Executive Council, in April, 
1788, proclaimed the news that the preliminary treaty 
of peace had been signed, and ordered the state flag to 
be hoisted and the bells to be rung. The prisoners of 
war confined in barracks at Carlisle, Lancaster, and 
Reading were brought to Philadelphia and sent to New 
York. The chevmix-de-frise were removed from the 
Delaware, that the white wings of commerce might 
again flutter over its waters. 

Congress leaves Philadelphia. But before the Quaker 
City could fully enjoy peace, a number of officers and 
soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line, in June, came from 
Lancaster and were joined by others, to demand of the 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 125 

Council and Congress a settlement of their accounts. 
Their demands were so insolent that the Council rejected 
them. Congress urged that the militia be called out to 
disarm the insurgents, but Dickinson did not favor a 
step so serious. Then Congress resolved to leave, and 
adjoiu'ned to meet at Princeton. The leaders in tliis 
unfortunate affair were arrested and court-martialed. 
Two sergeants were sentenced to be shot and others were 
to b(* flogged: but all were subsequently pardoned. The 
Assembly and the j)eoj)le of Philadelphia urged Congress 
to return, promising ample protection if it would do 
justice to the army and public creditors. But it resumed 
its sessions at Anna])olis. 

Problems of peace. The state now turned its atten- 
tion to trade and industry. Commissioners were ap- 
j)()inted to estimate the cost of opening roads and canals 
between the Sus(iuehanna and the Schuylkill. The 
islands in the Delaware were cUvided between New 
.hu'sey and Pennsylvania, according to proximity, and 
distributed among the several counties along the river. 
Th(^ two states were to have equal authority between 
the banks. 

Citizenship. Laws had been passed in 1777 requiring 
tlu; oath of allegiance of all persons above eighteen 
years of age, in order to enjoy "the blessings of liberty 
and citizenship." It was a test of loyalty, and those 
who refused to take it were regarded as Tories. Some 
of these did sympathize with Great Britain; but others 
declined to take the oath on account of religious scruples. 
In some places the number of persons qualified to hold 



126 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



office was insufficient to administer the local government. 
In 1789 all disfranchised persons were restored to citizen- 
ship. 

Franklin as President of Pennsylvania. Franklin re- 
turned in 1785 from his nine years' service in Europe, 
He was soon afterward elected to the Executive Coun- 
cil and made its president. He thus became the chief 
executive of Pennsylvania at the extreme age of eighty 
years, and served until 1788. 

It was a singular coincidence that during the first 
year of the great scientist's administration, numerous 




£^^^^" 



A Model of Fitch's Steamboat 

applications for aid were made to the Assembly by 
scientific inventors. One had made a crucible from 
blue-stone; another wanted to convert bar-iron into 
steel; still another had a machine to clean wheat and 
make it into flour. A fourth inventor asked encourage- 
ment in the making of tube-bellows for blacksmiths; 
and John Fitch asked for the exclusive rights of steam 
navigation in Pennsylvania. Three years later one of 
Fitch's improved steam-packets carried passengers reg- 
ularly for three months, from Philadelphia to Burlington, 
New Jersey. 
The Constitutional Convention. In 1787 Philadelphia 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 127 

again became the scene of a great Federal event — the 
formation of the Constitution of the United States. 
The Constitutional Convention went into session May 25, 
in the State House, and after a stormy session of four 
months, ended its labors September 17. The delegates 
from Pennsylvania were all from Philadelphia — Benja- 
min Franklin, Thomas Mifflin, Robert Morris, George 
Clymer, Thomas Fitz Simons, Jared Ingersoll, James Wil- 
son, and Gouverncur Morris. Pennsylvania's delegation 
was the largest. 

Franklin in the convention. The venerable president 
of Pennsylvania, Benjamin Franklin, now eighty-one 
years old, was the patriarch of the convention. The 
Doctor's speeches, on account of his physical infirmities, 
were read by his colleague, Mr. Wilson. It was Frankhn 
who proposed daily prayers in the convention, and urged 
a spirit of concihation when the contest about represen- 
tation in Congress waxed hot, saying, ''We are here to 
consult, not to contend." He advocated representation 
in Congress based on population; he opposed property 
(luahfication for representatives; and he was always a 
])ower when he spoke. 

While the members were signing their names, Franklin, 
looking towards President Washington's chair, on the 
back of which was cut a sun, said to those around him: 
"I have often and often, in the course of the session, 
and in the sohcitude of my hopes and fears as to its issue, 
looked at that figure behind the President without being 
able to tell whether it was the rising or the setting sun. 
Now I know it is the rising sun." 



128 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Pennsylvania's members of the convention. Mifflin, 
though saying but Httle, was prominent and influen- 
tial as a general of the Revolution and a member of 
Congress. Robert Morris proposed General Washington 
as president of the convention and was well known to 
the members as the great financier of the Revolution. 
Clymer was one of the members who had the honor of 
having signed the Declaration of Independence; he made 
several speeches and, with Sherman, of Connecticut, 
was instrumental in keeping the term dave out of the 
Constitution of the United States. Fitz Simons was 
a rich merchant, and objected to the prohibition of a 
tax on exports. Ingersoll, a leading lawyer, took little 
part, but afterward accjuired a national reputation. 
James Wilson was the best-read lawyer on the floor; 
whatever of Blackstone went into the Constitution was 
tested by him. Gouverneur Morris has credit for more 
remarks and speeches than any other member of the 
convention except Madison. As chairman of the Com- 
mittee on Arrangement and Style, Morris deserves credit 
for the clear and simple language of the Constitution. 

Pennsylvania acts on the Constitution. While the 
thirty-nine members of the convention were signing the 
Constitution on the afternoon of September 17th in a 
lower room of the State House, the Pennsylvania As- 
sembly sat in a room above. On the same day that the 
Congress in New York took its final action on the Con- 
stitution, and without knowing what that action was, 
George Clymer moved in the Assembly that a conven- 
tion meet in Philadelphia to consider the adoption of 




Benjamin Franklin 



130 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



the new Constitution. The motion carried by a vote of 
43 to 19; but before fixing the time and manner of 
election for this convention, the Assembly took a recess, 
to meet in the afternoon. The nineteen men opposed to 
the convention remained away after the recess; and as 
it took forty-six to make a (juorum, the Assembly had 
to adjourn until the next morning. 




Independence Hall, the First State House of Pennsylvania 

As it was now known that Congress had called on the 
states to ratify the Constitution, it was supposed that 
the opposition of the nineteen men would give way; but 
it did not. A quorum had to be secured by dragging the 
members from Franklin and Dauphin counties — McCal- 
mont and Miley— from their lodgings to the State House. 



THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD 131 

With clothes torn into shreds and faces white with rage, 
the two men were made to sit in their phices until the 
call for the convention was complete. Thus it happened 
that Pennsylvania called a convention to consider the 
Federal Constitution twenty hours after the Congress in 
New York had agreed to submit it to the states, and 
twelve days after it had been finished by the Constitu- 
tional Convention. 

Pennsylvania adopts the Constitution. The campaign 
for the election of delegates was fierce. Wilson was the 
chanii)ion on the side of the Federalists, as the supporters 
of the Constitution were called. He made a powerful 
speech in favor of adoption in the State House yard. 
"Centinel," who wrote letters for the newspapers, took 
the opposite side, and was often abusive, not even sparing 
AA'ashington and Franklin. In his letters Robert Morris 
was "13obby, the Cofferer"; Mifflin, "Tommy, the 
Quartermaster-General"; Gouverneur Morris, ''Gouvera, 
the cunning man." The convention ratified the Consti- 
tution December 12, by a vote of 46 to 23. 

Celebration of the Constitution. Pennsylvania being 
the second state to ratify the Constitution, not much 
demonstration was made at the time. But when, on 
June 21, 1788, New Hampshire, the ninth state, ratified 
it, Philadeli)hia and other towns resolved to celebrate the 
new Union on the 4th of July. The enthusiasm was un- 
bounded, but generally peaceable. Here and there, the 
Anti-Federalists interfered with the celebrations. A 
serious riot broke out in the town of Carlisle. Thomas 
McKean and James Wilson were burned in effigy, can- 



132 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

lion were s{)iked, and a copy of the Constitution was 
burned. 

President Washington. In April, 1789, Philadelphia 
gave a royal welcome to Washington, the first President 
of the United States, as he passed through on his way to 
New York. The floating bridge at Gray's Ferry was so 
elaborately decorated that the company passed over the 
Schuylkill as along a green lane. Arches of laurel 
spanned each end; and just as the carriage of the Presi- 
dent went under the western arch, a laurel wreath was 
lowered upon his brow by a child clad in white. After a 
banquet and fourteen toasts at Philadelj)hia, Washington 
resumed his journey. 



CHAPTER VII 
THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 

Pennsylvania under a new constitution; Governor 
Mifflin. A now constitution for the state was adopted 
in 1790, and the last president of the state under the old 
constitution, General Mifflin, was elected the first gov- 
ernor under the new. He served three successive terms, 
until 1799. With his administration began the system 
of internal improvements for which the state became 
noted. The Delaware, Schuylkill, and Susquehanna were 
to be made navigable and connected with one another 
by canals. This eastern system was then to be linked in 
the same way to the waters of the Allegheny, Lake Erie, 
and Lake Ontario. The legislature also recommended 
a turn])ike from Philadelphia to Lancaster, as wtII as 
I'oads in other parts of the state. 

The yellow fever. In 1793 the yellow fever appeared 
in Philadelphia. It lasted f'rom August to November, 
and carried off about five thousand people. The streets 
were deserted by all except those who buried the dead. 
Some 17,000 persons left the city, or one third of the 
population. Germantown was a favorite gathering 
place for the fugitives. The government offices of 
both the state and the nation were moved to that 
town. 

133 



134 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

The whisky insurrection. In March, 1791, Congress 
laid a tax of twenty-five cents a gallon on whisky 
manufactured in the United States. At that time the 
Mississippi River was not yet open to the Americans 
for transportation; hence the farmers around Pittsburg 
had no outlet for their grain. So they turned it into 
whisky, which was not so bulky and found a market 
nearer home. The inhabitants of that section had an 
inborn hatred for excise taxes. Their Scotch-Irish 
ancestors had resisted such taxes in Ireland. Moreover, 
the Revolution had been fought without a tax by the 
United States government; and the pioneers beyond the 
mountains could not understand why one was necessary 
now. 

So in September, 1791, when a collector appeared in 
Washington County, he was fiercely assaulted and had 
to flee for his life. Resistance to the tax continued 
during the next few years. In July, 1794, the house of 
an inspector, General Neville, was surrounded by a 
company of militia, and one of their number was killed 
by the shots that were exchanged. The next day 
Neville's house and barn were burned, but not until the 
leader of the militia. Major McFarlane, a veteran of the 
Revolution, had been shot by the occupants. The death 
of McFarlane greatly incensed the people, and a mass 
meeting was held on Braddock's Field. It was resolved 
to march to Pittsburg, where the Federal collectors had 
their headquarters. Fearing the town would be burned 
by the "Whisky Boys," the people sent out a committee 
to reason with them. By the tact of Judge Bracken- 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 135 

ridge, who preferred ''the loss of four barrels of old 
whisky to the loss of a quart of blood," they were led 
through the town and out of it again without doing 
any harm. 

A Federal army restores peace. Pittsburg was saved 
by a "free treat," but the Federal government, as well 
as that of the state, now concluded that something must 
be done to end the disturbance. President Washington 
sent a commission to make peace, if possible, and 
ordered an army of 12,000 men to be collected from 
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. 
Governor Mifflin sent Chief Justice McKean and General 
William Irvine to ascertain the state of the rebellion, 
and called a special session of the legislature. Judge 
Brackenridge and Albert Gallatin acted as mediators 
between the commissioners and the insurrectionists, and 
after a month of hard work came to an agreement. All 
those willing to do so were to sign papers signifying their 
submission to the government; but many failed to sign. 

Washington, therefore, ordered an advance of the 
army. Soon afterward William Findlay, at the head of 
a committee, met him at Carlisle," whither the President 
had come, and assured him that peace would be restored. 
Washington rei:)lied that the army was already on the 
march, but that no violence would be used if the insur- 
rectionists had submitted. No further resistance was 
offered. Six persons were indicted for treason, of whom 
two were convicted. These two were rough and ignorant 
men, who had been misled by others, and so Washington 
pardoned tliem. It had been demonstrated that the 



136 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Federal government was no rope of sand, to be broken 
whenever a state or a part of a state was opposed to a law. 

Foreign political relations. The difficulties of the 
Federal government with France and England, when 
those nations commenced war with each other in 1793, 
made themselves felt in Pennsylvania. Jay's treaty 
with England, made the following year, caused such a 
division of the Americans that they were all either 
Frenchmen or Englishmen in their politics. Genet, the 
French minister, received the most flattering attention 
from the day he arrived until he was recalled. When 
Adet, his successor, ordered all Frenchmen in America 
to wear the tricolored French cockade, everybody in 
Philadelphia wore it. Governor Mifflin and his asso- 
ciates in the state government openly sympathized with 
France. However, when in 1798 it seemed that the 
United States might be drawn into war against France, 
Governor Mifflin called on the militia to prepare for 
defense. Joseph Hopkinson's "Hail Columbia," sung 
for the first time in a Philadelphia theater April 25, 1798, 
to the tune of ''The President's March," added greatly 
to the war feeling. The words were caught up and re- 
peated throughout the country. 

The state capital at Lancaster. The agitation for the 
removal of the ca])ital from Philadelphia began in 1784. 
In that year a committee, which had been appointed to 
see about opening communication with the Susquehanna, 
reported that John Harris of Harris' Ferry, had offered 
to give the state some land which it might use for public 
purposes. Soon afterward other interior towns made 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 



137 



ilfir 



efforts to secure the capital; but Harrisburg and Lan- 
caster were the principal competitors. Carlisle and 
Wright's Ferry were also voted for. At last Lancaster 
was selected to be the seat of government after the first 
Monday of November, 1799. 

Fries' Rebellion. Early in Adams's administration, 
the Federal government imposed the so-called house 
tax, which required the assessors to measure and register 
the panes of glass in windows. To the Germans the 
tax seemed tyranni- 
cal, and in the coun- 
ties of Berks, Lehigh, 
Northampton, Mont- 
gomery, and Bucks 
they resisted the en- 
forcement of the law. 
From the fact that 
the women in certain 
places poured hot 
water on the asses- 
sors, the insurrection 
got the name of Hot 
Water Rebellion; while through its leader it received also 
the name of Fries' Rebellion. John Fries, a soldier of the 
Revolution, was a well-known character in the German 
section north of Philadelphia. He was an auctioneer, 
and was endowed with the power of leadership. With a 
plumed hat on his head, a pistol and a sword at his side, 
his little dog ''A\liisky" at his heels, and about sixty 
armed men around him, he marched from place to place, 




The Sun Inn at Bethlehem 



138 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

to the .sound of fife and drum, and harangued the Ger- 
mans on the mjustice of the house tax. 

Fries kept up this agitation for several montlis before 
the government took any notice of it. Finally, a United 
States marshal arrested twelve of his men and confined 
them in the Sun Inn, Bethlehem. Fries went to their 
rescue. He appeared before the inn in March, 1799, and 
demanded the surrender of the prisoners. The marshal 
had to yield, and Fries marched away in triumph. By 
order of President Adams, Governor Mifflin now called 
out the militia, and Fries, betrayed by his dog " Whisky," 
was captured in a swamp south of Allen town. He was 
tried in Philadelphia for high treason, convicted, and 
condemned to die; but President Adams pardoned 
him. 

Governor McKean. The successor to Mifflin was 
Thomas McKean, then Chief Justice. He, too, served 
three successive terms, 1799-1808. In a speech after his 
election he applied to the Federalists the epithets, 
''traitors, refugees, Tories, French aristocrats, British 
agents, apostate Whigs"; and he removed the old soldiers 
of the Revolution from office as fast as he could. For 
this conduct he received a vote of censure in the Senate, 
and narrowly escaped a like rebuke from the House. 
This unhappy beginning resulted in a bitter contest with 
the legislature, lasting during his entire administration. 
At one time he was in danger of impeachment, one of 
the charges being that he allowed his clerk to aflfix the 
official signature to public documents by means of a 
stamp. 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 139 

Governor Snyder. After Thomas McKean had served 
as long as the constitution would permit, he was suc- 
ceeded by Simon Snyder. He was a Democrat and the 
first native executive of Pennsylvania born outside of a 
Quaker county. He served three terms, from 1808 to 
1817. The cry of the Federalist party at this period was 
''Free trade and no embargo." The Democrats gen- 
erally supported President Jefferson and his embargo, 
and passed a resolution in the legislature early in 1809 
recommending that the members of the next legislature 
"appear in clothes of domestic manufacture." 

Local banks. When the United States bank went out 
of existence in 1811, a great demand for state banks was 
made. 



TWO CENTS TWO CENTS 

I promise to pay the Bearer Two Cents 
on Demand at the 

Schuylkill Bank 

When a sum amounting to one dollar shall be 
presented. 

Philmlelphia, July 4, 1^^'^- Richard Bache. 

An Example of a " Shinplaster " Note 

The scarcity of coin gave rise to the use of notes for 
small sums— ''shinplasters"— issued by individuals. 
With the establishment of banks all over the state, public 
improvements were extended. Petitions to the legisla- 
ture for money to improve the roads were especially 
numerous. 



140 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Pennsylvania in the War of 1812. When the second 
war with Great Britain was declared, June 18, 1812, 
Pennsylvania was ready with three times as many troops 
as were required of her. In December following Gov- 
ernor Snyder, in his message to the legislature, said: 

The sword of the nation, which for thirty years has been 
resting in the scabbard, has Ijeen drawai to maintain that inde- 
pendence which it had gloriouslj'- achieved. In the war of the 
Revolution our fathers went forth, as it were, '"with a sling, 
and with a stone, and smote the enemy." Since that period our 
country has been abundantly blessed and its resources greatly 
multiplied; millions of her sons have grown to manhood, and, 
inheriting the principles of their fathers, are determined to 
preserve the precious heritage which was purchased by their 
blood, and won by their valor. 

None of the fighting of the War of 1812 was on Penn- 
sylvania's soil; but her sons bled and died at Chippewa, 
Lundy's Lane, on Lake Erie, and at Baltimore, and 
shared in the glorious victory at New Orleans. When 
General Tannehiirs brigade of 2,000 volunteer militia 
reached Niagara, they promptly crossed the line into 
C'anada, and gallantly followed the flag of the United 
States government into a foreign country. The historic 
dialogue at Lundy's Lane — "Major, can you take that 
battery?'^ ''I can try, sir" — was between General 
Brown, a native of Bucks County, and Major Miller, of 
Gettysburg. 

The building of Perry's fleet at Erie. The greatest 
help given by Pennsylvania in the War of 1812 was 
Erie's part in helping to build and man Perry's fleet. 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 141 

Had it not been for Captain Daniel Dobbins, of Erie, 
Perry might never have been enabled to send the famous 
dis|)atch, September 10, 1813: "We have met the enemy, 
and they are ours." Dobbins, as commander of a trad- 
ing vessel, had the year before been a prisoner of the 
British at Detroit. Believing that his experience would 
l)e of value, he went to Washington and told the Presi- 
dent and his Cabinet that a fleet ought to be built at 
l<]ri(^ for the ])urpose of sweeping the British from the 
lakes. He returned with orders to build two gunboats. 
Late in October Dobbins gathered a few house carpen- 
ters, and by January, 1813, had made such progress 
that he w^as instructed to build two sloops of war. Every 
stick of timber had to be cut irom the stump, while deep 
snows covered the roots and wintry blasts whistled 
through the tops. In March, when Perry arrived, the 
keels and ribs were ready at the harbor of Erie. He 
hastened the work still more by ordering men from 
Philadel|)hia and New York to assist. Frequently a 
piece of timber that had been part of a tree in the forest 
in the morning, became part of a ship that afternoon. 
The men of Erie stood guard over the ships while in 
])rocess of construction; and they went to Buffalo and 
Pittsburg for supplies. When at last Perry was forced 
to say to the naval authorities, "For God's sake, and 
yours, and mine, send me men and officers, and I will 
have the enemy's ships in a day or two," the mihtia 
around Erie responded to his call and helped to win the 
great victory that made him "the young Nelson of 
America." 



142 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

One otlier event of the war caused a great stir within 
the borders of this state — the burning of Washington. 
Governor Snyder, August 20, 1814, in obedience to an 
order from President Madison, made a call for the militia 
of the counties nearest to the national capital. They 
assembled at Carlisle, York, and Marcus Hook. Those 
who were ordered to Washington took part in the at- 
tempt of General Winder to keep the British invaders 
out of the ca})ital. 

Among the heroes who won distinction on the sea were 
Commodore Ste})hen Decatur, Lieutenant James Biddle, 
and Captain Charles Stewart, each of whom was honored 
by the legislature of his own state — Pennsylvania— with 
a gold-hilted sword. 

Harrisburg becomes the state capital. In February, 
1810, Governor Snyder approved the act of the legisla- 
ture establishing permanently the capital at Harrisburg, 
before the close of October, 1812. The records were in 
danger of destruction at Lancaster, and a more central 
place was desired. The places voted on were Lancaster, 
Harrisburg, Northumberland, Bellefonte, Columbia, 
Carlisle, Reading, and Sunbury. Harrisburg was selected 
because a very great portion of the produce of the state 
would find its way to market by means of the Susque- 
hanna and its branches. It was argued that business 
men would locate at the seat of government if it admitted 
of commerce and was within easy and close communica- 
tion with Philadelphia. 

William McClay sold ten acres of land to the state, 
and this was added to the four acres already received 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 



143 



from John Harris (see p. 136). The corner stone of the 
capitol was laid May 31, 1819; the building was com- 
pleted in 1821 and was first occupied by the Assembly 
January 3, 1822. Before it was completed, the state 
government was quartered in the old Dauphin County 
Courthouse. 




The Old State Capitol 
Built 1819-21; Destroyed by Fire February 2, 1897 

Governor Findlay. William Findlay was governor 
for one term only, from 1817-20. He was an ardent 
advocate of internal improvements. He presented a 
plan for the navigation of the principal rivers as near 
to their sources as possible-the heads of the streams to 
be connected by short portages. In this he was second- 
ing a hke movement by other states and the United 
States all along the Atlantic seaboard. 



144 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Transportation by water. During the second war with 
England, a system of inhmd trade sprang up between 
New England and the South, which resulted in certain 
trunk line routes running north and south. After the 
war, when the Indians and the British were no longer a 
hindrance to the settlement of the frontier, great (juan- 
tities of ware and merchandise had to be sent westward. 
There were no roads in that direction; so the natural 
thing to do was to open the rivers for navigation. Steam- 
boats, which had hitherto been used only for passengers, 
were now to take the place of the " ox and horse marine" 
in carrying freight. 

Commissioners of Maryland and Pennsylvania jointly 
examined the Susquehanna, and reported that $20,000 
would clear the river from Harrisburg to Tioga Point. 
With a canal, twenty-three miles long, from the head of 
the West Branch to the Allegheny, the Mississippi Valley 
could be reached. From the head of Chautauqua Lake, 
a canal nine miles long would open an easy route to Lake 
Erie and the other Great Lakes. By means of another 
water route to Harrisburg and Pittsburg, by way of the 
Schuylkill, the Swatara, and the Juniata, Philadelphia 
could be connected with the Pacific Ocean at the mouth 
of the Columbia with only seventy-five miles of canal! 
Such were the calculations made to outdo New York on 
the north, and such were the dreams of Pennsylvania 
while the nightmare of the Erie Canal disturbed her 
sleep! 

Governor Hiester. Governor Hiester served one term, 
from 1820 to 1823. The movement for internal improve- 



THE PERIOD FROM 17U0-1860 145 

ments did not abate during these years. The great high- 
ways to the West were not to be a mere fancy. The 
legislature in 1821 chartered a number of canal and turn- 
pike companies, and appropriated money for them. The 
subject of education received considerable attention at 
this time. Governor Hiester said in his message : " Above 
all, it appears an imperative duty to introduce and 
support a liberal system of education, connected with 
some general religious instruction." 

Governor Shulze. Governor Shulze was in office from 
1823 to 1829, ser\ing two terms. Assuming that the 
legislature knew the wants of the state better than he, 
Shulze, in his first message, recommended but one thing 
for its consideration — education. Said he: "Convinced 
tliat even liberty w^ithout knowledge is but a precarious 
blessing, I can not too strongly recommend this subject 
to your consideration." The legislature accordingly 
]mssed a law providing for the education of all children 
between six and fourteen at public expense; but no child 
was to have this privilege for more than three years. As 
this law was violently o})posed, it w^as repealed in 1826. 

Internal improvements. The subject of internal im- 
provements was again a live question at this time. Coal, 
iron, and manufactures were becoming great industries 
in Pennsylvania, and required ways and means for their 
transportation. The Schuylkill and the Union canals, 
connecting Philadelphia with the Susquehanna, were 
finished. The great Pennsylvania canal was begun near 
Harrisburg in 1827. The several parts, having all to- 
gether a length of 425 miles, were completed in 1830. 
10 



146 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

The money needed to carry on the woiiv was borrowed 
from banks by authority of the legislature. Governor 
Shulze opposed this plan, favoring taxation to pay at 
least a part of the enormous expense. But the people 
did not care how large their debts were in this ''era of 
good feeling.'' 

Governor Wolf. The next governor was George 
Wolf, a Democrat. On assuming office in 1829, he re- 
ported to the legislature that $8,300,000, had been 
borrowed for public improvements since 1821, and that 
$3,459,533 was still needed to complete the canals and 
railroads in the system. In a few years he and others, 
upon whose shoulders the responsibility rested heavily 
for a time, had the proud satisfaction of seeing the state 
prosper greatly under its system of water communica- 
tion. "Clinton's Big Ditch" in New York now had a 
worthy rival. 

Public education. Governor Wolf, in his first inaugu- 
ral address, like all his predecessors under the Constitu- 
tion of 1790, proved himself a warm fiiend of public 
education. In his message to the legislature he spoke of 
the blessings of education to "the whole community," 
to "every individual susceptible of partaking of them," 
"to the poor, as well as to the rich." 

I am thoroughly persuaded that there is not a single measure 
of all these which \\dll engage your deliberations in the course 
of the session of such intrinsic importance to the general pros- 
perity and happiness of the people of the Commonwealth, to the 
cause of public virtue and pubHc morals, to the hopes and 
expectations of the rising generation, to whom the future politi- 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 



147 






cal destinies of the Republic are to be committed, or which will 
add so much to the sum of individual and social improvement 
and comfort, as a general diffusion of the means of moral and 
intellectual cultivation among all classes of our citizens. 

The common schools established. The people, too, 
had become more favorable to the schools. Petitions 
for the establishment ^ .^ 

of a better system of 
public education had 
come before the legis- 
lature from twenty- 
four counties. Again 
in his next message, 
the governor empha- 
sized the importance 
of further legislation; 
but nothing was ac- 
complished until 1834. 
The people had be- 
come wide-awake now. 
Meetings were held all over the state, resolutions were 
passed, comparisons with other states were made, and 
an increased number in both houses of the legislature 
favored free schools. The result was that on March 15, 
1834, ''An Act to Establish a General System of Educa- 
tion by Common Schools" was passed. In the House 
but one man voted nay; in the Senate, three. 

In the next legislature a majority of the members went 
to Harrisburg resolved to repeal this law. The enemies 
of free schools had attacked the measure of 1834 in all 




Alexander Wilson's Schoolhouse, 

1804 

At Kingsessing, near Philadelphia 



148 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

parts of the state. Families, neighborhoods, churches, 
newspapers — all quarreled with one another and among 
themselves. In some instances members of the legisla- 
ture who had voted for the free-school law made humili- 
ating and dishonorable confession of having done wrong; 
otherwise they would not have been returned to the 
legislature. 

The Senate was especially hostile to the act of 1834, 
and in March, 1835, voted to repeal it. Thirteen of the 
nineteen who voted for the repeal had the previous year 
voted for free schools. The House, fortunately, was 
more friendly; but what it would have done had it not 
been for the speech of one member — Thaddeus Stevens 
— cannot be told. It was said by eyewitnesses of the 
great fight in that body that Stevens, on April 11, 1835, 
saved the common schools in Pennsylvania. This was 
his eloquent plea: 

Who would not rather do one living deed than have his ashes 
enshrined in ever-burnished gold? Sirs, I trust that when we 
come to act on this (juestion, we shall take lofty ground — look 
beyond the narrow space which now circumscribes our \dsion, 
beyond the passing, fleeting point of time on which we stand — 
and so cast our votes that the blessing of education shall be 
conferred upon every son of Pennsylvania — shall be carried 
home to the poorest child of the poorest inhabitant of the mean- 
est hut of your mountains, so that even he may be prepared to 
act well his part in this land of freemen, and lay on earth a 
broad and a solid foundation for that enduring knowledge which 
goes on increasing through increasing eternity. 

Governor Ritner. Governor Wolf was nominated 
for a third term; but was defeated by Joseph Ritner, 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 149 

who had been his opponent twice before. ''PubHc 
Education/' the banner under which Governor Wolf 
fought his campaign, had much to do with his defeat. 
But Ritner, although some of his supporters were /' no- 
school-tax" and " no-free-school " men, proved to be a 
staunch friend of the new law. Governor Ritner under- 
took to make the public works "answer the great object 
for which they had been originally designed— the public 
good." This proved to be a difficult task on account of 
the financial panic of 1837. The state was full of paper 
money of little value, which had been issued while the 
canals and other public works were being constructed. 
The adoption of a new constitution was the last impor- 
tant event of this administration. 

Governor Porter. The next governor was David R. 
Porter, who h(4d office from 1839 to 1845. ^Mlen the 
election was over, the friends of Governor Ritner resolved 
to make an investigation of alleged frauds. The legisla- 
ture which met December 4, 1838, was strongly Whig 
in the Senate, but in the House both Whigs and Demo- 
crats claimed a majority. Two speakers were elected 
in the House; both occupied seats on the platform, and 
after an attempt at organization, both factions adjourned, 
to meet the next day. But the Whigs met again in the 
afternoon. Some spectators, friends of the Democratic 
Speaker, went up to the platform and carried the Speaker 
pro tern, down into the aisle. Overcome by superior 
numbers, the Whig House then adjourned to what is 
now the Lochiel Hotel. The Senate also had to adjourn, 
and .its Speaker jumped ^'out of a window twelve leet 



150 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

high, through thorn bushes and over a seven-foot picket 
fence." 

The Buckshot War. Things now assumed a threaten- 
ing aspect. A pubhc meeting was held counsehng mod- 
eration; business was suspended at the capitol for several 
days; the governor called out the mihtia; and, had not 
President Van Buren declined to order them, United 
States troops from Carhsle would have been on the scene 
too. The presence of the bayonet enabled the peace- 
makers to restore quiet. The Senate recognized the 
Democratic wing of the House as the rightful organiza- 
tion, and what is known as the Buckshot War came to an 
end. The ammunition for the infantry at this time was 
buckshot cartridges. It is said that the Whig faction 
made some of these cartridges at their headquarters and 
sent them by a negro to the arsenal, to be used on the 
mob ; that the negro was caught and compelled to give up 
his cartridges to the captors, who distributed them 
among their friends as mementos. Hence the name 
''Buckshot War." 

The Germans. Governor Porter had occasion to make 
a defense of the Germans and the German language in 
one of his messages. An act had been passed abolishing 
the printing of the laws in the German language. One 
third of the population was German, and in most of the 
eastern counties, German was the language of daily 
intercourse, of the schools, and of the newspapers. Gov- 
ernor Porter could see nothing unreasonable in publish- 
ing the laws in the only language those people could un- 
derstand. He therefore vetoed the act. 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 151 

Race riots. In 1833 a convention met at Philadel- 
phia and formed the American Antislavery Society. 
This agitation brought on riots in Philadelphia between 
the whites and the blacks. The most serious occurred 
when Pennsylvania Hall was dedicated, in May, 1838. 
It had been erected by the Antislavery Society for the 
free discussion of that cause. All went well until the 
evening of the third day, when a crowd of roughs threw 
stones into the windows and hissed and hooted the 
speakers. The next night a larger body put out the 
lamps in the neighborhood, broke into the hall, set it on 
fire, and turned on the gas to assist the flames. The 
work of destruction was complete; for nothing but the 
walls was left of this monument to free speech. 

Political riots. In 1843 a new party appeared in 
American politics — the Native American — which held, 
among other things, that foreigners should not be 
appointed to office. On the fourth of July of the next 
year there was a grand Native American procession in 
Philadelphia. This started a riot, which lasted for sev- 
eral days. The city was put under martial law. Troops 
moved upon the mob with deadly effect; while the rioters 
procured a cannon and fired chains, bolts, spikes, and 
other missiles at the soldiers. The governor, who had 
come to Philadelphia in person, now called out additional 
troops, and was soon able to withdraw the militia and in- 
trust the city again to the mayor. 

Governor Shunk. According to the Constitution of 
1838, the governor could not hold office "longer than 
six in any term of nine years." Governor Porter there- 



152 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

fore retired, and was succeeded by his Secretary of the 
Commonwealth, P^rancis R. Shunk, w^ho served one 
term and about six months of a second term. Having 
become ill, Governor Shunk, on July 9, 1848, addressed 
a pathetic letter to the people of Pennsylvania, and 
resigned his office. He died, deeply lamented, July 30, 
at Harrisburg. The letter read: 

In taking leave of you under circumstances so solemn, accept 
my gratitude for the confidence you have reposed in me. My 
prayer is that peace, virtue, intelligence, and religion may 
pervade all your borders; that the free institutions you have 
inherited from your ancestors may remain unimpaired till the 
latest posterity; that the same kind Providence which has al- 
ready so signall^y blessed you may conduct you to a still higher 
state of individual and social happiness; and when the world 
shall close upon you, as I feel it soon about to close upon me, 
that you may enjoy the consolation of the Christian's faith, and 
be gathered, without a wanderer lost, into the fold of the Great 
Shepherd above. 

Pennsylvania troops in the Mexican War. Governor 
Shunk was chief executive of Pennsylvania during the 
Mexican War. President Polk called for six regiments 
from this state. In response, ninety companies were 
formed, making Uiree regiments more than were asked, 
though only two regiments and several detached com- 
panies were mustered into service. These distinguished 
themselves by their bravery at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, 
Chapultepec, and Mexico City. In memory of their valor 
the state erected a towering monument on Capitol Hill, 
at Harrisburg. 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 



153 



Telegraph and Railroad Development. The victories 
of peace during tiiis administration were equally im- 
portant. In 1845 the first telegraph poles were erected 
within the state, and a hne was opened from Philadelphia 
to New York. The first movement toward the con- 
struction of the Pennsylvania Railroad between Harris- 
burg and Pittsburg took place in the same year. 

Governor Johnston. After Governor Bhunk's resigna- 
tion, there wa*s an interregnum until July 26, when the 




Early Railroad Transportation 
The John Bull Engine, 1831, Running on the Camden and Amboy 

Railroad 

Speaker of the Senate, in accordance with the constitu- 
tion, took the office for the unexpired term. The person 
who thus became acting-governor was William F. 
Johnston, and he was nicknamed '^His Accidency." 
He belonged to the Whig party, which in the North was 
opposed to the extension of the slave power. The 
Pennsylvania Asseml^ly passed Un act prohibiting judges 
of the state from executing the Fugitive Slave Law^ of 
1793, and forbidding the use of the jails for detaining 
fugitive slaves. The privilege of nonresidents to keep 



154 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

slaves temporarily in the state was also canceled. These 
acts were severely condemned by the Southern states. 

The Underground Railroad. In 1850 a new Fugitive 
Slave Law was passed by Congress, by which United 
States commissioners were authorized to turn over a 
negro to anyone who claimed him as an escaped slave. 
For years the fugitive slave had felt safe when he reached 
Pennsylvania; but now he had to flee to Canada. In 
this he was assisted by an organization known as the 
Underground Railroad. The origin of this name may be 
traced to Columbia, Lancaster County. That town was 
laid out by descendants of the Quaker John Wright 
(see p. 57), and they reserved some lots in it for free 
colored people. It therefore became a refuge for runaway 
slaves. Their masters could track them as far as Colum- 
bia, where all traces disappeared; and it was declared 
that "there must be an underground railroad" leading 
out of it. 

Through the secret assistance of antislavery people, 
the fugitive slaves were sent across Lancaster, Chester, 
Montgomery, and Bucks counties to West Chester, 
Philadelphia, Quakertown, and Stroudsburg. To these 
points the negroes would travel in small parties by 
night, and there they would be concealed in cellars, 
garrets, hay lofts, and other hiding places, till all danger 
from pursuit had passed. Another line of escape came 
up from Maryland through Chester County. Some fugi- 
tive slaves entered the state by way of Bedford and 
followed the mountains to Potter County, whence they 
were forwarded to Canada. Erie, too, was a favorite 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1S60 1-55 

station. Under the law of 1850, the least assistance 
given to a fugitive slave was punished if it was discovered. 
A man in Cumberland County was tried in the United 
States court for giving a few slaves something to eat 
after a night's rest in his barn. He was not convicted, 
but he had to sell his farm to pay the expense of the 

trial. 

A slavery riot. In LS51 a serious riot occurred at 
Christiana, Lancaster County, one of the stations of the 
Underground Railroad. It grew out of an attempt to 
arrest three fugitive slaves harbored in the cabin of a 
negro farmhand named Parker. The owner of the 
slaves, accompanied by a United States marshal and his 
posse, appeared early one morning in September. A 
demand to surrender was answered by a shot from the 
garret and the blowing of a big dinner horn. The 
neighbors understood this as a signal for serious action. 
White men and colored men with guns, scythes, and 
clubs ran from every direction. The slave owner was 
advised to leave; but he wanted his property, ''dead or 
alive." In the encounter which followed he himself was 
mortally wounded by one of his own slaves. A number 
of the free colored men were arrested and indicted for 
treason; but only one was tried, and he was acquitted. 
The riot at Christiana caused a sensation all over the 
country. It happened in the midst of the campaign for 
governor, and became an issue at the election. 

Governor Bigler. Governor Johnston was defeated 
for a second term by William Bigler, a Democrat, who 
served from 1852 to 1855. The common school system, 



156 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

which could be accepted or rejected by the people of a 
district, had been accepted by many districts in the state 
by 1849. Improvements in the schools could now be 
made more easily and effectually. In this first annual 
message, Governor Bigler made a strong plea for pro- 
fessional teachers and other needed improvements; and 
he had the satisfaction of signing a bill creating the 
office of county superintendent of schools. 

The state debt. The enormous state debt, amounting 
in 1848 to more than $4(),()00,0()(), was reduced by 
$700,000 during the previous administration. Governor 
Bigler might well congratulate the people on the fact 
that the expensive internal improvements wei'e now 
nearly completed, so that henceforth money would flow 
into the treasury instead of out of it. 

Governor Pollock. In the election for governor in 
October, 1854, the Whigs and Native Americans elected 
their candidate, James Pollock. The question of slavery 
was dividing both the old parties, and the immense 
foreign immigration about the middle of the century 
gave a new but brief lease of life to the Native Americans. 
This party had now come to be called the Know-Nothing 
party, from the fact that its meml)ers, when c|uestioned 
about their purposes and principles, would say, "I 
don't know." 

The canals sold. In 1857 the legislature passed an 
act ordering the sale of the line of canals between Phila- 
delphia and Pittsburg. The Pennsylvania Railroad Com- 
pany |)urchased them for 17,500,000. The canals on the 
Susquehanna were sold to the Sunbury and Erie Rail- 



THE PERIOD FROM 1790-1860 157 

road Company for $3,500,000. These canals, after the 
raih'oads had been built, had failed to be a source of 
revenue to the state. 

The Erie riots. A most troublesome riot occurred 
in the town of Erie during Pollock's administration. 
The tracks of the railroad into Erie from the east were 
of a different width from those out of Erie to the west. 
All freight and passengers had to be transferred at Erie 
from narrow-gauge to broad-gauge cars, and vice versa. 
This transfer gave employment to many workmen, but 
the delay and expense of it were too great for the rail- 
roads and their patrons. So the two roads were made to 
be of the same gauge. The people of Erie were not all 
in favor of the change. Such as opposed it were known 
as Rippers; the ones favoring it were called Shanghais, 
The Rippers repeatedly ripi)ed u\) the tracks, and their 
women burned a railroad bridge. The contest lasted 
two years. The state had to operate the railroad and 
Governor Pollock appointed two men in succession to act 
as superintendents for the state, but they both became 
disgusted and resigned. Then Alexander K. McClure 
was asked to take the matter in hand. He settled the 
Erie riots by bnnging the leaders on both sides together 
at a bancfuet. 

The panic of 1857. In 1857 a great financial panic 
occurred in the United States, and ''a wave of bank- 
ruptcy swept around the civilized world." It was due 
to speculation, resulting probably from the discovery of 
gold in California and Australia. The banks of Pennsyl- 
vania, in common with others all over the country, 



158 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

became more or less embarrassed, and had to stop 
paying out specie to their depositors. 

Elisha Kent Kane. The year 1857 is also memorable 
in the history of the state as closing the career of one of 
her greatest sons— Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, the Arctic ex- 
plorer. His body lay in state in Independence Hall, was 
viewed by thousands of people, and followed to the grave 
by scientists, statesmen, professors, and students from 
all over the land. 

The Republican party organized. In the midst of 
the financial disaster came the campaign for governor. 
William F. Packer was elected by the Democrats. The 
year before, the Repubhcan party had made its appear- 
ance as a national organization at Pittsburg, and a few 
months later nominated its first candidate for President, 
at Philadelphia. 



CHAPTER VIII 
THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR 

Governor Packer. When Governor Packer assumed 
office in January, 1858, the attention of the people of 
Pennsylvania was fixed on national affairs. Two days 
after the inauguration of James Buchanan, Pennsyl- 
vania's only President, the Supreme Court of the United 
States decided that a slave could be taken into the 
territories the same as a horse or an ox, and that there- 
fore Dred Scott, the Missouri slave, was not a free man. 
A little later Buchanan urged the admission of Kansas 
as a slave state. These acts of the government at Wash- 
ington alienated many of the President's supporters in 
Pennsylvania, chief of whom was John W. Forney, editor 
of the Philadelphia Press. 

John Brown's raid. The next affair to add fury to the 
political fire was the raid of John Brown, one Sunday 
night in October, 1859, and his execution on the gallows, 
December 2. Brown had made Chambersburg his base 
of operations for some weeks, and was known there as 
Dr. Smith, engaged in mining in the state of Maryland. 
When his sentence of death had been passed, the Abo- 
litionists of the state were filled with indignation. At a 
meeting in Philadelphia, on the morning of the hang- 
ing, Lucretia Mott, the Quaker Abolitionist, and other 

159 



160 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

speakers expressed their sympathy, under a storm of 
hisses and groans. Two days later the body of Brown 
passed through the city, and there was a great clamor 
from the Abolitionists and the colored people for a view 
of it. For fear of violence, a trick was played on the 
crowd outside the depot. A box, in imitation of a coffin, 
was solemnly carried out by six men, while the real body 
was quietly and safely conveyed to the New York ferry. 
Fresh alarm and anxiety were created when, in the same 
month. Governor Wise of Virginia requested the Southern 
medical students in Philadelphia to finish their course 
at Richmond and other cities in the South. 

The election of 1860. The year 1800, from January 
to December, was given to one continuous agitation of 
the slavery question, particularly in its bearings on the 
elections for President and governor. The Democrats 
of the state were divided in the choice for President, 
between Breckinridge and Douglas; on the candidate 
for governor, Henry D. Foster, they were united. The 
Republicans had a majority for Lincoln, and elected 
Andrew G. Curtin governor. 

First resistance to the South. The first decided 
resistance to President Buchanan's Secretary of War, 
who was a Southerner, came from Pittsburg, late in 
December, 1800. It was learned that arms and ammu- 
nition were to be shipped to New Orleans from an arsenal 
in Allegheny County. Public meetings were held and 
resolutions were passed that the President should purge 
his Cabinet of disloyal members, and, as a Pennsylva- 
nian, see to it that the Repubhc suffered no loss as long 



THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR 161 

as it was in his hands. While a committee went to 
Washington to protest, cannon were conveyed to the 
wharf and loaded on the steamer. At this critical 
moment Edwin M. Stanton, Buchanan's Attorney- 
General, telegraphed that the order would be counter- 
manded in a few days. 

Governor Curtin. On January 15, 1861 , began the most 
memorable administration in the history of Pennsyl- 
vania — that of the "war governor," Andrew G. Curtin. 
In his inaugural address, he declared that Pennsylvania 
would ''render a full and determined support of the 
free institutions of the Union," and pledged himself to 
defend the Constitution againsi all its enemies. The 
legislature likewise took a firm stand in behalf of the 
Constitution and the Union. 

Lincoln in Harrisburg. AMien Lincoln stopped at 
Harrisburg, February 22d, on his way to Washington, he 
was enthusiastically received in the chamber of the As- 
sembl}^, where the members of both houses had as- 
sembled to greet him and to hear his inspiring oratory. 
It was after this reception that Lincoln's famous secret 
ride to Washington was planned at the Jones House (now 
the Commonwealth Hotel) . He had been informed that 
a plot existed in Baltimore to assassinate him on his way 
through that city. As it had been published far and 
wide that he was to leave on the Northern Central Rail- 
road early the next morning, Governor Curtin, Secretary 
Slifer, Senator McClure, and Colonel Scott, of the Penn- 
sylvania Railroad, decided (very much against Mr. Lin- 
coln's wishes) that he should leave Harrisburg that even- 
11 



162 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

ing and pass, by way of Philadelphia, through Baltimore 
at an unexpected hour. To deceive the throng outside 
the hotel, Governor Curtin called for a carriage and had 
himself and the President-elect driven in the direction of 
the Executive Mansion. When near there, a roundabout 
route was taken to the depot. Lincoln, accompanied 
by a friend, who was armed with a small arsenal of 
weapons, hastily took a special train for Philadelphia. 

Colonel Scott then, with his own hands, cut all the 
telegraph wires leading out of the city and nervously 
awaited a cipher despatch that Lincoln was to send 
when he arrived at Washington. It was a long, anxious 
night for those who were in the secret. With the dawn 
of day came these words — " Plums delivered nuts safely'' 
— signifying that all was well. Lincoln always regretted 
that he had gone to Washington in that way; for it is 
not believed that any plot to assassinate him had existed. 

The First Defenders. The day after Fort Sumter was 
evacuated. President Lincoln called for 75,000 troops^ 
Pennsylvania's quota being 14,000. Governor Curtin 
telegraphed the call all over the state, and so quick was 
the response that five Keystone companies now wear 
the proud badge of the ''First Defenders." They were 
the Ringgold Light Artillery, of Reading; the Logan 
Guards, of Lewistown; the Washington Artillery and 
the National Light Infantry, of Pottsville; and the Allen 
Rifles, of Allentown. The Ringgold company was the 
first to reach Harrisburg, arri\dng there the day after the 
President's call. 

In the streets of Baltimore the First Defenders suffered 



THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR 



163 



the taunts, sneers, and insults of the same mob that 
attacked the Sixth Massachusetts the next day. But 
they never wavered under the constant fire of bricks, 
clubs, stones, and earth. After they had boarded the 
train for Washington, the mob tried to derail the cars, 
detach the locomotive, and break the machinery. Dur- 
ing it all, the governor of Pennsylvania, with breathless 
anxiety, listened to the click of the telegraph at Harris- 
burg, as it reported step after step of the perilous march 
through Baltimore. At seven o'clock on the evening 
of the 18th the First Defenders reported at Washington. 
Congress afterward passed a resolution, thanking ''the 
530 soldiers from Pennsylvania who passed through the 
mob at Baltimore and reached Washington on the ISth 
of April last, for the defence of the National Capital." 

Recruits now poured into Harrisburg by the thousands, 
overflowing the depots, the streets, and the capitol 
grounds. A great camp was es- 
tablished, called Camp Curtin, in 
the northwest suburbs. Before th(^ 
end of the month twenty-five regi- 
ments were formed there and sent 
to the front, while thirty more were 
offered but not accepted. Simon 
Cameron, Secretary of War, Thad- 
deus Stevens, member of Congress, 
and Governor Curtin, all favored a much larger army 
than Lincoln had called for. 

The Pennsylvania Reserves. On the 15th of May the 
legislature, in extra session, ordered the formation of 




The State Flag 



164 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

the famous Pennsylvania Reserves, numbering 16,000 
men. The wisdom of this measure was seen in July, 
when the Union forces came rushing back from Bull 
Run, defeated and disorganized. The President in- 
stantly called for the Pennsylvania Reserves. Under 
the call of "Father Abraham for five hundred thousand 
more," the Reserves now entered upon a career of honor 
and glory. 

Many soldiers fed. In 1862 the state was called on 
to do httle except to furnish her quota of troops; but 
the people individually did much. As the troops passed 
through our cities and towns on their way to the front, 
acts of kindness innumerable were shown to them. 
Trainloads of soldiers were refreshed with sandwiches 
and coffee. In Philadelphia, throughout the war, the 
Union and Cooper-shop volunteer refreshment houses 
were kept open with contributions from the people. 
Nearly a million soldiers from the North and East, as 
they passed to and fro, were given food and drink. At 
one time a fair was held in Logan Square and SI, 500, 000 
raised for the sick and wounded. 

Drafts and substitutes. In August, 1862, a state 
draft of soldiers was made, under the direction of the 
United States. The men drafted could furnish substi- 
tutes; as much as $1,500 was paid for one. A regular 
business of buying and selling substitutes sprang up at 
Camp Curtin, and great profits were made in the traffic. 
Substitutes were employed who were disloyal, shirking 
duty in the field and deserting at the first chance. In 
1863 a second draft was made, but by the direct author- 



THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR 165 

ity of the United States. On the day appointed for the 
drafting, the names of all men previously enrolled in 
a certain district were written, each on a separate ballot, 
and placed in a wheel. From this a person blindfolded 
drew a number of names equal to the quota of the dis- 
trict. Persons drafted could be excused from service 
on the production of a substitute or the payment of 
S300. 

Stuart's raid. No sooner had the war fairly begun 
than it became evident that Pennsylvania would be 
invaded. The first opportunity came to the enemy in 
the fall of 18G2. On the 10th of October, General 
J. E. B. (''Jeb") Stuart made a cavalry raid through 
Franklin County. His troops rode into Chambersburg 
in the evening, cut off telegraphic communications, 
ransacked the stores, and terrified the inhabitants all 
night with the tramp of horses and the rattling of sabers. 
The next morning they made a raid on a warehouse 
containing military stores. What they could not pack 
on their horses — of which 1,200 had been taken on the 
raid through the country — they destroyed by setting 
fire to the building. The flames spread to the depot of 
the railroad and consumed it, too. The raiders then 
beat a hasty retreat to the Potomac, and thence to 
Virginia, after causing a loss of about $150,000. Cham- 
bersburg was within a night's ride from the ( 'onfederate 
lines all through the war. 

Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was 
the land of promise to General Lee and the Army of 
Northern Virginia. Its rich granaries, great coal fields, 



166 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

and extensive factories of war supplies were tempting 
objects for capture and destruction. Lee's defeat at 
Antietam foiled the first attempt, but did not destroy 
the desire. His victory at Chancellorsville gave the 
opportunity to try again. In June, 1863, the border 
counties of the state, from one end of Mason and Dixon's 
line to the other, were threatened with invasion. The 
Secretary of War, Stanton, telegraphed to Pittsburg 
that the gunshops of that city were to be destroyed. 
Immediately all the great iron plants were closed and 
the men wTre kept at work for two weeks, throwing 
up intrenchments. 

Though no attack was made as far west as the Monon- 
gahela Valley, Confederate scouts visited McConnells- 
burg, Fulton County, and Mt. Union in Huntingdon 
County. On Monday morning, June 15, a detachment 
of Lee's army, Jenkins's cavalry, entered Greencastle, 
and in the evening the streets of Chambersburg again 
resounded with the clatter of Southern troopers. After 
scouring Franklin and Fulton counties for horses and 
provisions, the force proceeded to Shippensburg and 
thence to Carlisle, regaling themselves and baiting their 
steeds at the expense of the public authorities. 

Next came General Ewell with the vanguard of Lee's 
entire army. He arrived at Carlisle on June 27, a few 
hours after Jenkins. Ewell made a requisition for a 
large amount of supplies, including even quinine and 
chloroform. His force remained at Carlisle until the 
night of the 30th. They destroyed the railroad bridge; 
threatened Harrisburg by making raids in that direction 



THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR 167 

to within a few miles of the city; and caused vast numbers 
of the population of the Cumberland Valley to flee across 
the Susquehanna, with horses, cattle, and movable 
things of every description. 

The defense of the state. At Harrisburg there was 
great consternation. Earthworks and other defenses, 
known as Fort Washington, were erected on the west 
side of the river. Governor Curtin, on June 26, hearing 
of the approach of the invaders, called for 60,000 men 
to defend the state. Even the veterans of the war of 
1812 tendered their services, so great was the necessity 
of the hour. General W. F. Smith, who was put in 
command of the volunteers, mai'ched into Carlisle as 
Ewell marched out. Scarcely had Smith encamped, 
when a body of Confederate cavalry reappeared, and, 
after firing, demanded the surrender of the town. This 
was refused. Then the town was shelled and set on 
fire; but the Confederates were needed elsewhere — the 
battle of Gettysburg had begun. 

The bridge at Wrightsville burned. Early's division 
of Swell's corps was sent in advance of Lee's army in 
the direction of Gettysburg, by way of Cashtown. At 
the latter place, this force was divided, Gordon's brigade 
taking temporary possession of Gettysburg on June 26, 
while Early himself proceeded to York, and occupied 
that town the next day. As soon as York had learned 
of the approach of the Confederates, the small body of 
troops stationed there fell back to Wrightsville. Here 
a slight skirmish occurred; but the bridge having been 
set on fire by the citizens of the town, the enemy could 



168 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

go no farther. At a public meeting, the people of York, 
on demand of General Early, contributed goods and 
money to the amount of $35,000. No damage was done 
to private property, but the railroad suffered some loss. 

The skirmish at Hanover. The most important 
side-skirmish connected with the battle of Gettysburg 
was the cavalry engagement at Hanover, York County, 
between General Kirkpatrick and General Stuart. The 
latter had not crossed the Potomac with Lee, and his 
whereabouts were unknown. On June 30, while General 
Kirkpatrick's troopers, dismounted in the streets, were 
eating a luncheon served by the people of Hanover, 
Stuart suddenly attacked the rear and threw it into 
confusion. Moving out into the open country, the Union 
cavalry formed in line of battle and, after fighting until 
dark, drove the enemy from their position. 

Gettysburg: the first day. The attempts to secure 
the bridges at Harrisburg and Wrightsville having failed, 
it became evident that a battle would have to be fought 
on the west side of the Susquehanna. So when Lee 
halted on the diamond at Chambersburg, he turned his 
tired horse to the right and rode toward Gettysburg 
instead of Harrisburg. Meade's Union army had been 
marching northward, to the east of Lee's, in the general 
direction of Harrisburg. General Reynolds, second to 
Meade in command, was on the extreme left with the 
First Corps, closely watching the movements of the 
enemy. 

At Gettysburg, July 1, 1863, General Reynolds met 
the advance forces, under General Hill, as they were 



THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR 169 

about to enter the town. And now the great battle 
was on. But it had scarcely begun when the Union 
army suffered a great loss. While General Reynolds 
was riding forward to select ground for a line of battle, 
he fell, pierced through the head by a ball from a sharp- 
shooter's rifle. Doubleday, who succeeded him, fought 
desperately on Seminary Ridge till the hot July sun 
stood at high noon. General Howard then came up 
with the Eleventh Corps. The enemy charged upon 
him with a tremendous force, threatening to overlap 
both flanks. He ordered a retreat, and the two bleeding 
and exhausted corps retired through the streets of Get- 
tysburg to Cemetery Hill. 

When Meade, who was still some fifteen miles aw^a}^ 
and did not arrive till late at night, heard of the death 
of Reynolds, he ordered General Hancock to leave the 
Second Corps and hasten to Gettysburg to assume com- 
mand of the forces already there. The Union army — 
100,000 strong — now came up, one corps after another, 
and during the night took position (in the form of a 
fishhook) on Cemetery Ridge as far back as Round Top 
on the left and Gulp's Hill on the right. Lee's line, sim- 
ilar in form but much longer, was along Seminary Ridge. 
His army numbered about 80,000. 

Gettysburg: the second day. The second day, until 
three o'clock, was spent by both armies in remov- 
ing fences, digging rifle pits, building stone defenses, 
strengthening weak points, distributing ammunition, 
and providing hospitals. About four o'clock Lee opened 
fire on Meade's left. General Sickles was in command 



170 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

there, with the Third Corps, and by some mistake had 
taken an isolated position. Instantly both lines in that 
quarter were a blaze of artillery and musketry. Long- 
street's Confederate corps came on like the resistless 
tide. The Union troops wavered and fell back. Sickles 
was wounded and carried off the field. Humphreys 
lost 2,000 of his 5,000 men in getting back to the position 
intended to be occupied in the first place. A division 
of reinforcements sent over from Hancock's corps lost 
two brigadiers — Zook and Cross. 

But there was a natural stronghold near by — Little 
Round Top. By the foresight of General Warren, this 
was saved to the Union forces, but the blood shed at 
this point, which included the famous Devil's Den, was 
most appalling. Had Longstreet taken Round Top, 
the assaults on the lines next to Cemetery Hill could not 
have been withstood. As it was, the action there soon 
ended; but not before Hancock and the general next in 
command of the Second Corps were both wounded. 

Just as night was falling upon the scene of carnage on 
the left. General Ewell attacked Cemetery Hill, held by 
Howard's corps. It was here that the Louisiana Tigers 
made their famous assault. Those desperate fighters 
came up to the very mouths of the cannon and actually 
spiked two of the Union guns. At this critical moment 
a brigade of German troops fell upon the victorious 
Tigers, and in a hand-to-hand charge drove them down 
the hillside. It was the Waterloo of the Tigers. 

Lee had now attacked the whole Union line except 
the extreme right, held by General Slocum, with the 



THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR 171 

Twelfth Corps. Here General Early, of Swell's corps, 
under cover of darkness and timber, began a vigorous 
attack on Culp's Hill and points beyond, but was bravely 
repulsed. However, there was a gap in the Union line, 
caused by the withdrawal of General Geary to the sup- 
port of Round Top. Taking advantage of this, the 
enemy broke through and got within a third of a mile 
of Meade's headquarters. 

Gettysburg : the third day. The break made in Geary's 
division the evening before naturally caused the battle 
to be renewed in that quarter early in the morning 
of the third day. Geary, having returned, opened a 
furious cannonade to dislodge the intruders. Ewell, 
who had been reinforced by parts of Longstreet's and 
Hill's corps during the night, responded with fatal 
effect all along the line of Slocum, even to Cemetery 
Hill; but it was solid now and well defended. In front 
of Geary's command, the slain were lying in heaps. At 
ten o'clock Ewell fell back, and the battle of Gettysburg 
on the right ended. 

Then there was a pause of three hours — an ominous 
silence, such as sometimes goes before a crash of thunder. 
Lee was massing his artillery of 115 guns opposite Ceme- 
tery Hill. Meade saw what was proposed to be done, 
and prepared for it. At one o'clock the signal gun was 
fired on Seminary Ridge. For two hours an artillery 
duel raged such as had never shaken the atmosphere of 
either continent. Trees, rocks, and tombstones were 
shattered; horses and men were mangled; guns, swords, 
and cannon were dyed in blood. 



172 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Pickett's charge. When this cannonading ceased, 
Pickett's brave Virginians, who had just reached the 
battlefield, made their famous charge upon the Union 
center. Nothing in history surpasses it in heroism and 
sacrifice. When they neared the coveted hill, seventy 
iron throats poured grape, shell, and canister upon them. 
Yet on they went, even to the cannon's mouth, and for 
one brief moment a Confederate flag waved over the 
Union guns. But Hancock's infantry quickly advanced 
and recovered the lost ground. The raw troops with 
whom Pettigrew was to support the charge gave way 
at the same moment, and Pickett was left alone to con- 
tend with the Union forces now pressing him on every 
side. The usual retreat did not follow; Pickett's charge 
ended in almost total destruction. 

During the time of this last and supreme effort of Lee, 
there was a general movement against Meade's army 
all along the line; but it was of little consequence else- 
where. On the left, in front of Little Round Top, the 
Pennsylvania Reserves drove back Hood and McLaws, 
capturing 5,000 stand of arms and taking 300 prisoners. 
On the right. General Gregg gained a decisive victory 
over Stuart in a cavalry engagement. The following 
morning Lee was on the retreat to the Potomac; and 
that day and the next were employed by Meade '^in 
succoring the wounded and burying the dead." 

The national cemetery at Gettysburg. Governor Curtin 
soon afterward proposed to the governors of the dif- 
ferent states whose regiments took part in the battle, 
that a cemetery be purchased for the final burial of the 



THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR 173 

Union dead. The grounds embraced in this cemetery 
were at first owned by Pennsylvania, and the expenses 
of maintaining them were borne by the several states 
interested. The cemetery was dedicated November 19, 
lS53^_as Abraham Lincoln said on that occasion,— 
to be " a final resting place for those who here gave their 
lives that the nation might hve." In 1872 the United 
States government succeeded to the ownership and 
management. The entire battlefield is now the property 
of the nation, and the position of every military organiza- 
tion which fought upon the field has been marked by 
monuments. Gettysburg will be the Mecca of patriots 
as long as our fair land endures. 

The burning of Chambersburg. In 1804 the Con- 
federates once more made a raid into Pennsylvania, and 
burned Chambersburg. They appeared outside the town 
on the evening of July 29, but were delayed in their en- 
trance until daylight of the 8()th. They planted two bat- 
teries and fired a few shots before the whole column of 
3,000 entered. Soon after the occupation, McCausland, 
the commander, demanded $500,000 in greenbacks or 
$100,000 in gold, to be paid within half an hour. On 
refusal, the town was to be burned. He was told that 
'Chambersburg could not and would not pa> any ran- 
som." Then he had the courthouse bell rung for a pub- 
He meeting; but no one attended. Arrests of prominent 
citizens were next ordered, and threats were made to 
carry them to Richmond if they did not pay the ransom. 
When all this proved to no purpose, he set the town on 
fire. In a few hours $3,000,000 worth of property was 



174 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

destroyed; 3,000 people were left homeless and many of 
them penniless; and for miles around the country was 
crowded with terror-stricken refugees. Chambersburg 
was the only town largely destroyed, within the limits of 
the Union states. 

Pennsylvania's battleflags. At the close of the war, 
Governor Curtin, in a special message to the legislature, 
said that "the resources of Pennsylvania, whether in 
men or money, have neither been withheld nor squan- 
dered." The state furnished, all told, 270 regiments and 
several unattached companies, numbering 387,284 men. 
Every regiment was supplied with a battleflag, embla- 
zoned with the number of the regiment and the coat of 
arms of the commonwealth. The Reserves and other 
early regiments were provided with flags bearing addi- 
tional inscriptions of battles of the Revolution, the War 
of 1812, and the Mexican War, participated in by Penn- 
sylvania regiments of the same number. These flags 
were presented by Governor Curtin in person. Most of 
them have since been returned to the state, some tattered 
and torn and stained with blood. They constitute an 
interesting relic, and are preserved in the capitol at Har- 
risburg. 

The soldiers* orphans. When the Pennsylvania regi- 
ments were drawn up to receive their battleflags, Gov- 
ernor Curtin always pledged the state to sustain, clothe, 
and educate the children of those who had families. So 
when, in 1863, Colonel Thomas A. Scott, on behalf of 
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, donated $50,000 
for bounties to volunteers, it was decided to use that 



THE PERIOD OF THE CIVIL WAR 175 

fund in another way; namely, to establish schools for 
soldiers' orphans. A number of schools willing to take 
pupils were selected in various parts of the state, and 
2(36 soldiers' orphans were enrolled in them by 1865. 
Through this measure, Pennsylvania erected a monu- 
ment to her soldiers that is more enduring than the 
granite columns that have been raised on the battle- 
fields. 



CHAPTER IX 
THE PERIOD SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 

Governor Geary. The successor to the great " war 
governor" was John W. Geary, a Repubhcan. He was 
governor for two terms, frdm 1867 to 1873. The whole 
country, but more especially the North, prospered greatly 
after the war. Pennsylvania, with its vast material 
resources, enjoyed unusual business activity. However, 
there was one section in the state to which the ravages 
of the war were a decided drawback. It embraced the 
so-called border counties — York, Adams, C-umberland, 
Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, and Perry. These suffered 
greatly from the various invasions. 

Governor Hartranft. Aside from 'Hhe saw-dust 
war," — a disturbance in Wilhamsport, in 1871, requir- 
ing the presence of the military, — the commonwealth 
enjoyed peace and tranquillity until 1872. That year 
the Liberal Republicans nominated as their presidential 
candidate Horace Greeley, editor of the New York 
Tribune, against President Grant, who was the regular 
Republican candidate for a second term. The Demo- 
crats had practically no candidate, but indorsed Greeley. 
The canvass throughout the country was marked by 
intense partisan feeling which affected the campaign 
for governor. A number of prominent Republicans in 

176 



THE PERIOD SIxNCE THE C1\TL WAR 177 

Pennsylvania joined the ranks of the Liberals and sup- 
ported the Democratic candidate for governor. After a 
great political battle, General John F. Hartranft, the Re- 
publican nominee, was elected. 

The financial crisis of 1873. The great financial 
crisis of 1873 marked the end of the prosperous times 
that followed the war. It began in Philadelphia, by 
the failure of Jay Cooke & Co., who were forced to close 
the doors of their banking-house on September 18. 
Before night, ''runs" were made on the other banks of 
the city, and in a few days a number of them had to 
suspend. These failures began the long train of business 
and labor difficulties that made the next few years so 
dark to trade and industry. 

Labor strikes. The first strike of any consequence oc- 
curred in the anthracite section in 1868, for an eight-hour 
day. The shorter day was not secured, but the strike re- 
sulted in a compact organization of the miners. In 1871 a 
strike against reduction of wages was settled by arbitra- 
tion — the first noteworthy example of this mode of settle- 
ment in the United States. Other strikes of minor im- 
portance occurred; but on January 1, 1875, the miners 
of the Lehigh and Schuylkill regions went out on what 
became known as ^Hhe long strike." It lasted until 
July and was generally peaceable, but at one time the 
governor sent the militia to quell disorder. 

The Philadelphia City Hall. On July 4, 1874, ground 

was broken in Philadelphia for the Centennial Exhibition 

buildings, and the corner stone of the City Hall was laid. 

This City Hall is a very massive building, built of white 

12 



17S A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

marble, in the renaissance style. The main tower, 547 
feet high, is surmounted by a statue of William Penn, 
36 feet high and facing northeast in the direction of the 
famous elm — the two together making one of the highest 
building towers in the world. The building contains 
some 500 rooms, and has a floor area of 14^ acres. 

The Centennial. The Centennial Exhibition, which 
commemorated the Declaration of Independence, had 
made such progress by July 4, 1875, that the colossal 
figure of Columbia, on Memorial Hall, was unveiled 
on that day. For Memorial Hall, the state and Phila- 
delphia appropriated the money; otherwise the Centen- 
nial was an enterprise of the whole country. About 
180 buildings were erected on the grounds. The five 
great buildings were the Main Exhibition Building, 
Machinery Hall, Memorial Hall, Agricultural Hall, and 
Horticultural Hall. The states of the Union each had 
a building; and so had the United States, foreign govern- 
ments, and some enterprising individuals. 

The four great days of the Exhibition were the opening 
day. May 10; Independence Day, July 4; Pennsylvania 
Day, September 28; and closing day, November 10. 
The Fourth of July had brought to Philadelphia a large 
number of people from all over the United States, but 
Pennsylvania Day was the most memorable to this 
state, for on that day 275,000 of its people surged through 
the grounds. The highest daily attendance before that 
day had been 99,000. The closing day occurred under 
the gloom of a bitter national presidential contest, and, 
excepting the magnificent display of fireworks in the 



180 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

evening, was uneventful. President Grant gave the 
signal for closing the Exhibition, and instantly the great 
Corliss engine in Machinery Hall ceased to move. 

The MoUie Maguires. The Mollie Maguires were the 
members of a secret order which had its origin in Ireland. 
In Pennsylvania they began to show a lawless tendency 
in the time of the Civil War, by resisting the draft. 
Active Union men in Carbon and Schuylkill counties 
were in danger of their hves. After the war, this secret 
order became a great power in the anthracite coal 
regions. Some of the lawless members engaged in the 
assassination of justices of the peace, pohce officers, 
and mining bosses. So numerous were the outrages 
committed, that in 1873 Franklin B. Gowan, president 
of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company, 
employed a detective, James McPharlan, who joined 
the order and ferreted out the plots. In 1876 sixteen 
of the men put on tiial in the courts were found guilty 
of murder, and executed, and as many more were sen- 
tenced to imprisonment. 

The railroad riots. The year 1877 is noted for the 
most extensive and destructive riots that ever broke out 
in Pennsylvania. They grew out of the great railroad 
strike inaugurated throughout the United States on 
July 14. At Pittsburg some two thousand freight cars 
were destroyed, many railroad buildings laid in ashes, 
and miles of track torn up. The sheriff was helpless 
against the mob who took advantage of the strike and 
engaged in plunder and destruction. Governor Hart- 
ranft was on his way to visit the Pacific coast, and had 



THE PERIOD SINCE THE CIVIL \\\R 181 

to return. Before reaching home, he telegraphed an 
order calhng out the National Guard. But the armed 
mob was not to be dispersed by the state troops, and 
United States troops had to be brought upon the scene 
before quiet could be restored. 

The disturbance at Pittsburg was the signal for dis- 
order at other points. At Philadelphia and Harrisburg 
it was nipped in the bud. At Reading the railroad bridge 
across the Schuylkill was burned, and the National 
Guard came into fatal collision with a body of strikers 
in the streets. A company of United States troops was 
encamped there until late in the fall. At Scranton and 
Wilkes-Barre passenger trains were fired at as they passed 
through, and the tracks greased to stop them. In this 
section the miners, too, went on a strike, but the mihtary 
])revented any destruction of property such as charac- 
terized the strike at Reading and Pittsbui-g. 

Governor Hartranft, in his last message, advocated 
arbitration and conciHation as a better policy than force 
to restoi'e quiet among the working classes. The state 
had paid annually for eight years $1()(),()()() for the suj)- 
pression of labor troubles. 

Governor Hoyt. At the election in 1878 Henry M. 
Hoyt, a Republican, was elected governor. The legis- 
lative session of 1879 was the first of the biennial sessions 
provided for in the Constitution of 1873. The industries 
were still suffering from hard times, but there were signs 
of returning prosperity. Governor Hoyt, in his inaugu- 
ral, reminded the people that they spent more than they 
earned; that the extravagance of the rich is not the gain 



182 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

of the poor; and that waste and profusion are not for 
the good of trade. 

The Bicentennial celebration. In 1881 an effort was 
made by the legislature to have the remains of William 
Penn removed from the graveyard at Jordan's meeting- 
house, in Buckinghamshire, England, and interred in 
Philadelphia; but the heirs of Penn objected. This 
disappointment, however, did not mar the bicentennial 
celebration of Penn's arrival in the good ship Welco7ne. 
The affair was begun at Chester, on Monday, October 23, 
1882. There some men representing William Penn and 
his colonists landed at the foot of Penn Street, where 
they were received by Lieutenant Markham and a 
group of Quakers, Swedes, and Indians, appropriately 
costumed. At midnight two hundred strokes of the 
State House bell announced the beginning of ''landing 
day" in Philadelphia. Fully 500,000 strangers were in 
the city to see the Welcome come up the Delaware, 
about nine o'clock in the morning. The landing was 
made at the foot of Dock Street, according to tradition. 
A procession was formed, and at the grand stand Gov- 
ernor Hoyt greeted Penn and his suite. The founder then 
made an address, to which Sachem Tamanend, of the 
Delawares, made a reply. The procession, which required 
four and a half hours in passing, was uniciue. It showed 
the gradual progress made during the two centuries of 
the state's existence. The festivities continued until 
Friday. 

Governor Pattison. In 1882 Robert E. Pattison, 
a Democrat, was elected governor. As Governor Hoyt 



THE PERIOD SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 183 

said in his last message, "the people determined upon 
a change." Following the example of President Jeffer- 
son, Mr. Pattison would not ride in a carriage from the 
depot at Harrisburg, but walked to the hotel, at the 
time of his inauguration. In his messages, too, he advo- 
cated economy in the pubhc service, recommending 
various reforms intended to lessen expenses. 

A long extra session of the legislature. On the day 
fixed by the legislature for adjournment, June G, 1883, 
the governor called an extra session to meet the follow- 
ing day. The object was to redistrict the state into 
senatorial and representative districts, in obedience to 
the constitution; also to make a new division of con- 
gressional and judicial districts. The legislature had 
failed to do this work at the regular session, because the 
two houses, being of different political complexion, 
could not agree. The extra session continued until 
December G. Several bills were introduced, but only 
the one rearranging the judicial districts became a law. 
The others failed on account of pohtical disagreements. 
The expense incurred was heavy and caused much dis- 
satisfaction. The members were paid ten dollars a day. 

To avoid a recurrence of so great an expense through 
an extra session, the law was changed in 1885. The 
compensation for both the regular and the extra sessions 
now is a fixed amount — 11,500 for the regular and $500 
for the extra session, regardless of the length. The 
legislature of 1885 also passed acts requesting the 
governor to designate a day as Arbor Day; and requiring 
in the common schools the study of physiology and hy- 



184 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

giene, with special reference to the effects of alcohoHc 
drinks, stimulants, and narcotics. 

Temperance and prohibition. The question of temper- 
ance received attention in other directions also about 
this time. As early as 1872, Pennsylvania adopted a 
local option law, but it was repealed soon afterward. 
With the sudden growth of the Prohibition party in 
the presidential campaign of 1884, there came a demand 
for legislation to restrict, and even to prohibit, the 
liquor traffic. There were at the time 7,000 licensed 
drinking places in Philadelphia alone. In obedience 
to a loud call from all over the state, the legislature in 
1887 passed the so-called high license bill. This law 
fixed the fees for the right to sell liquor at retail as high 
as 1500 and $300 in cities, and proportionately high in 
boroughs and townships. 

At the same time, an amendment to the constitution, 
prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating 
liquor as a beverage, was })roposed. An election was 
held in 1889, for the purpose of ratifying or rejecting 
this amendment. It was lost by a vote of 484, ()44 to 
296,617, the vote by counties being 89 against it and 
28 for it. Later the high-license act was amended so 
as to increase the fee in cities of the first and second 
class. 

Governor Beaver. At the election for governor in 
1886, James A. l^eaver, a Republican, was the success- 
ful candidate. The legislature in 1887 increased the 
appropriation for common schools from $1,000,000 to 
$1,500,000. The same legislature jjassed acts by which 



THE PERIOD SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 185 

the culture of trees was encouraged; the employment of 
women and children in factories was regulated and provi- 
sion made for their safety; and the fish in the streams and 
the game in the forest were protected against ruthless 
destruction. 

The Johnstown Flood. Another example of the grow- 
ing interest of the state in its people was furnished by 
the floods of 1889. On May 81 the regions of the West 
Branch of the Susquehanna, the Juniata, and the Cone- 
maugh rivers were visited by floods which had no i)arallel 
in history. Many villages, towns, and cities on the 
eastern slo})e of the Alleghenies were, for a time, rendered 
utterly helpless. On the western slope, Johnstown and 
its neighboring towns were almost wiped out. Three 
thousand lives were lost in the Conemaugh Valley, 
more cjuickly than the story of the disaster can be told. 
The cause of this terrible loss of life was tho bi-eaking 
of a dam covering ()()() acres of land and calculated to 
liold r)()(),()()(),()()() cubic ievt of water. It was situated 
on the South Fork, two miles south of the junction with 
the Conemaugh and ten miles east of Johnstown. 

On the afternoon of May 31 the water rose slowly 
until it i)oured over the top of the dam. Then some 
old leakages became larger, the breast broke, and the 
water rushed forth like a demon. John Baker, \hv Paul 
Revere of the occasion, rode a race with it for a while 
and saved many ])eo}:)le. But the death-dealing wave, 
now laden with trees, houses, wreckage, and human 
beings, defied steam whistles and telegraphic instru- 
ments. It i)l()we(l through South Fork, Mineral Point, 



186 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Franklin^ East Conemaugh, Woodvale, Conemaugh, 
Johnstown, Kernville, Millville, and Cambria. It was 
late in the afternoon, and the night that followed was 
one of unutterable agony. Morning daw^ned upon a 
scene that is impossible to describe. 

When the people learned what had happened at Johns- 
town, they extended aid and sympathy as great as 
the catastrophe itself. ReHef committees were organ- 
ized in Philadelphia and Pittsburg to furnish aid and 
to help bury the dead. Governor Beaver appointed a 
Flood Relief Commission to distribute a fund that had 
swelled to more than $1,000,000. The State Board of 
Health was early on the ground to enforce the sanitary 
laws, and the military came there to preserve order. To 
pay the state's expenses, generous men of means ad- 
vanced the money till the legislature could reimburse 
them. There never was a more beautiful example of 
public and private charity in all history. 

Governor Pattison*s second term. In 1890 Robert E. 
Pattison was elected for a second term. Under the 
Constitution of 1873, a person holding the office of 
governor is not eligible for the next succeeding term. 
Probably the most important act of the legislature of 
1891 was the passage of the Ballot Reform Law. The 
voter had not been sufficiently free and independent 
in casting his ballot, and the cry for purer elections was 
heard all over the commonwealth. The law adopted the 
Australian system of voting, which tends to preserve to a 
man freedom and secrecy in the discharge of his duty as 
a voter. 



THE PERIOD SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 187 

The Homestead strike. The strike at Homestead, in 
1892, was caused by an attempt of the Carnegie Steel 
Company to reduce the wages of some of its employees, 
who numbered about 4,000 men. Those who refused to 
accept the new scale of wages were locked out. One 
act followed another until the men locked out had practi- 
cal possession of the works. The company then brought 
a force of Pinkerton detectives from Chicago. On their 
arrival in barges from Pittsbiu'g, they were worsted in 
a riot. About a dozen lives were lost and scores of 
persons were wounded, \\lien the National Guard ar- 
rived, the town was WTll-nigh under the reign of mob 
law; but in two weeks order was restored. The Home- 
stead riot and other labor troubles caused much agita- 
tion in and out of the legislature for several years in 
favor of a board of arbitration to settle all labor difficul- 
ties in the state. 

Pennsylvania at the World's Fair. At the World's 
Columbian Exposition at Chicago, in 1893, the legisla- 
ture spent 1300,000 to show the products of farm and 
factory, mine and mill, art and education, and all the 
best results of the state's material prosperity. The 
Pennsylvania State Building, with its facsimile State 
House tower and its old Liberty Bell in the main en- 
trance, was a favorite spot in the World's Fair grounds. 

Governor Hastings. At the election for governor in 
1894, Daniel H. Hastings, a Republican, was elected. 
The legislature of 1895 made a marked expansion in 
the public service. It created a number of new depart- 
ments and offices. The agricultural department, with 



188 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

its kindred industries of dairy and food supplies, horti- 
culture and forestry, was established in the interest of 
farmers. A banking department was created to execute 
the laws of banking and financial institutions in general. 
A new court of seven judges — the Superior Court — was 
established to lessen the work of the Supreme Court. 

The capitol destroyed by fire. On Tuesday, Feb- 
ruary 2, 1897, the clock in the tower of the state capitol 
struck twelve o'clock noon as usual; but when it struck 
again, it tolled its own death knell. At one o'clock the 
fire that destroyed the historic building on that day 
had already encircled the dome, and the old clock and 
all that was dear in Pennsylvania's capitol was doomed. 
Many books and records that could not be replaced were 
destroyed. The old building had an interesting history. 
It had witnessed the inauguration of sixteen governors; 
Presidents Harrison, Tyler, Taylor, Lincoln, Grant, 
and Hayes had been within its walls; and Webster 
entranced an audience there with his eloquence. Lafay- 
ette was tendered a public reception in the old Senate 
chamber, and in 1800 a similar honor was accordetl to 
the Prince of Wales. 

The new capitol. The legislature, after the fire, re- 
sumed its sessions in Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, 
of Harrisburg. A new capitol building was authorized 
to be erected, fireproof and of the renaissance style of 
architecture, the cost not to exceed $550,000. Work was 
begun in the summer of 1898, the corner stone was laid 
on August 10, and the building was occupied by the legis- 
lature January 8, 1899. 



THE PERIOD HLXCE THE CIVIL WAR 189 



The Hazleton affair. Scarcely had a peaceable strike 
in the bituminous fields of western Pennsylvania ended, 
in the summer of 1897, when another strike broke out 
in the anthracite region. The miners wanted higher 
wages. On vSeptember 10 the sheriff of Luzerne Count}^ 
with about a hundred deputies, met a body of strikers — 
mostly Hungarians, Poles, Lithuanians, and Slavs — who 
were marching to a colliery at Lattimer to persuade 
others to join them. Some of the strikers tried to force 





Obverse Reverse 

The Seal of the State of PexXnsylvania 

Ww'iv way jxist. The deputies fired into the miners, 
kilhng some twenty and wounding about fifty others. 
Three thousand troops of the National Guard were 
soon tented about Hazleton, and no further violence 
occurred. The sheriff and his deputies were arraigned 
Tor murder, but they were acquitted on the ground that 
they had not overstepped the bounds of reason in try- 
ing to preserve order. 

Pennsylvania in the war with Spain. On April 21, 
1898, the United States, after thirty-three years of 



190 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

peace, became involved in a war with Spain. Two days 
later, President McKinley called for 125,000 volunteers. 
Pennsylvania's quota was 10,762. Governor Hastings 
ordered the National Guard — 9,222 men — to mobilize 
at Mount Gretna. These, and others needed to fill up 
the quota, were sworn into the service of the United 
States for two years unless sooner discharged. About 
a month later a call for 75,000 more volunteers was 
made, and Pennsylvania furnished 6,462 additional men. 
The Tenth Regiment was sent to Manila, and took part 
in a number of engagements during the year's service 
in the Philippines. The Sixteenth, the Fourth, and the 
cavalry and artillery were sent to Porto Rico. The other 
Pennsylvania regiments, though equally anxious to fight, 
had to content themselves with camp duty in the United 
States. 

Governor Stone. In 1898 WiUiam A. Stone, Repub- 
lican, was elected governor. In his administration 
very serious troubles again grew out of strikes in the 
anthracite coal regions. On September 21, 1900, it was 
reported to the governor that 2,000 men were marching 
the streets of Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, disturb- 
ing the peace and resisting the local authorities. Two 
persons were killed and seventeen wounded. The gov- 
ernor was asked for aid. He sent 2,000 men of the Na- 
tional Guard to the scene of disturbance, early the next 
morning. No further serious disturbance took place. 
The people were civil to the troops; the strike was settled; 
and by October 31, the military was withdrawn. 

A long strike in the anthracite regions. The long 



THE PERIOD SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 191 

strike in the anthracite coal fields in 1902, began on 
May 2 and continued till November 12. Practically all 
the anthracite mines were closed. The miners struck 
for various reasons, but the chief demands were an 
increase of wages and recognition of the miners' union 
by the operators. As in 1900, disturbances broke out 
in Shenandoah and the sheriff called on the governor for 
aid, which was sent at once. Outbreaks occurred also 
in the counties of Carbon, Susquehanna, and Columbia, 
and the sherifTs called for troops from the National Guard. 
By October 17, there were 8,750 men in the field — 92 per 
cent of the whole Guard. 

Cold weather was approa(;hing and the people feared 
a coal famine. Wood and coal oil were used on a large 
scale in all parts of the country where hard coal had been 
in use. Strong efforts were made to settle the disputes 
between the operators and the miners. The negotia- 
tions were carried on chiefly by George F. Baer, presi- 
dent of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron 
Company, and John Mitchell, president of the United 
Mine Workers of America. President Roosevelt at last 
took a hand in the strike and persuaded the leaders on 
both sides to submit their differences to a board of 
arbitration. The miners then went to work. The arbi- 
trators gave their decision March 21, 1903; the most 
important points were that the miners should have an 
advance of ten per cent in wages, and that the recogni- 
tion of the miners' union was refused. 

The Pan-American Exposition. In 1901 Buffalo, the 
large and populous city in our sister state to the north, 



192 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

held an exposition known as the Pan-American. Situ- 
ated as Buffalo is, upon Lake Erie, which fronts on a por- 
tion of our state, it was both proper and beneficial that 
we should contribute to the success of the exposition. 
The legislature appropriated $35,000 for the erection 
of a state building and for a display of exhibits. 

When President McKinley had been shot at this 
exposition, Governor Stone appointed September 8 as 
a day of prayer in Pennsylvania for the recovery of the 
nation's ruler. After the death of McKinley, Septem- 
ber 14, the governor issued another proclamation, making 
Thursday, September 19, the day of the funeral, a time 
of mourning and prayer throughout the state. All busi- 
ness was suspended and the people gathered in churches, 
public halls, and schoolhouses, in reverence of the mar- 
tyred President. 

Governor Pennypacker. In 1902 Samuel W. Penny- 
packer, Republican, was elected governor. His Demo- 
cratic opponent was Robert E. Pattison, who had been 
twice governor before. Both candidates made a thor- 
ough canvass of the state, addressing large and interested 
audiences in all the principal towns. 

Forest reservations. As far back as 1895, the legisla- 
ture began to make provision for the protection of forests 
from fire. Two years later, the Commissioner of Forestry 
was authorized to purchase timber lands that had to be 
sold by county treasurers for the non-payment of taxes. 
The tracts so bought were to be formed into forestry 
reservations. Such was the beginning of forestry reser- 
vation in Pennsylvania. The legislature of 1899 author- 



THE PERIOD SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 193 

ized th€' purchase of other forest lands cUrectly from the 
owners, the price not to exceed five dollars an acre. In 
both Stone's and Pennypacker's administrations, lands 
u|)on the mountain sides throughout the central part 
of the state, from New York to Maryland, were piu'- 




The Senate Chamber of the Present Capitol 



chased as fast as the revenues would permit. On Janu- 
ary 1, 1910, the state had almost 1,000,000 acres in its 
forestry reserves. 

These forests will increase in value: they will preserve 
the springs and streams; they will protect the game and 
fish; and they will be a place of resort for invahds, such 
13 



194 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

as the one already established at Mount Alto, Frankhn 
County. A school of forestry for the education of prac- 
tical foresters is conducted by the state at Mount Alto. 
The graduates are assigned to service on the reserva- 
tions. 

Road improvement. Next in importance to good 
schools in a community are good roads. Pennsylvania 
began the improvement of her highways in 1903, by 
estabhshing the State Highway Department and giving 
state aid in the making of roads in townships. Aside 
from the turnpikes constructed early in the nineteenth 
century, the roads of Pennsylvania were poor until the 
state undertook their improvement. Thereafter, in the 
first two years, about 125 miles of good roads in forty- 
five counties were constructed. A number of townships 
also, following the example set before them, raised money 
and improved their highways. 

The public health. Contagious diseases used to rob 
the state of thousands of people annually, without a 
hand being raised officially against these dreaded de- 
stroyers of life. Since 1905 the state has had a Depart- 
ment of Health, which works to confine disease to as 
narrow limits as possible. In the year 1909, among the 
seven millions of people in the state, there was not one 
death from smallpox reported to the Department of 
Health. The Department of Health also does most valu- 
able service in preserving the purity of the waters used 
for drinking purposes by both man and beast; in sup- 
pressing nuisances injurious to public health; and in keep- 
ing a record of all births and deaths in the state. 



THE PERIOD SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 195 

The state police. The state police, or constabulary, 
organized under a law passed in 19U5, is a force of 
mounted men whose duty it is to protect life and prop- 
erty and to keep peace and order, wherever they may 
be stationed or sent. In the course of the hrst year 
of service, the state police covered, in patrolling the 
state, 03,000 miles and made 694 arrests. In 1909 this 
|)olice force covered 407,910 miles and made 3,799 arrests. 

The Valley Forge Park. In 1893 steps were taken by 
the legislature to acquire the ground at Valley Forge for 
the state, and to make a public park of that far-famed 
camp of the Revolution. At the close of Governor Penny- 
packer's administration, the commission appointed to act 
for the state had acquired 470 acres of land and the stone 
house used by Washington for his headquarters in the 
winter of 1777-78. The inner and outer lines of the in- 
trenchments are now well preserved. Five or six miles 
of avenues have been laid out. An observatory, seventy- 
five feet high and five hundred feet above sea-level, com- 
mands a view of the camp and many miles of the sur- 
rounding country. On a crest marking the site of the 
Pennsylvania troops stands an equestrian statue of their 
great commander. General Wayne. Four guardhouses, 
two of them being reproductions of the huts used by 
the soldiers, stand at different points of the camp. Other 
states that had commands at Valley Forge are joining 
Pennsylvania in restoring the camp and making it a 
shrine for patriotic Americans. 

An important extra session of the legislature. In 
November, 1905, the governor issued a caU for an extra 



196 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

session of the legislature. It began January 15 follow- 
ing the call and ended February 15. The session was 
fruitful of important and useful legislation. Allegheny 
and Pittsburg were brought under one city government. 
The state was reapportioned into senatorial and repre- 
sentative districts — a constitutional duty that had been 
neglected in the case of the senatorial districts since 
1880, and in the case of the representative districts since 
1890. 

At the same time, personal registration of the voters 
in cities was made an annual requirement for voting. 
Primary elections of all political parties were ordered 
to be held on the same day throughout the conniion- 
wealtli. Nomination and election expenses were regu- 
lated; and accounts of such expenses, if exceeding 
fifty dollars, were recjuired to be filed under oath with 
certain public officials. The civil service of cities of 
the first class (meaning Philadelphia) was regulated and 
improved by requiring competitive examinations of ap- 
})licants for offices filled by appointment. 

The new capitol. A new brick capitol building was 
erected in Governor Hastings's administration (see 
}). 188); but it was not complete or of pleasing appear- 
ance, though well built. In 1901 it was decided to 
complete the building in such a manner as to be in keep- 
ing with the wealth and dignity of the state. The legis- 
lature appropriated $4,000,000 to construct and com- 
plete the capitol. By January 1, 1905, it was finished, 
having cost about $36,000 less than $4,000,000. The 
furnishing amounted to more than $8,000,000. These 




H 

<1 






198 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

sums, added to the amount appropriated in 1897, 
brought the total cost to about 113,000,000. 

The exterior of the capitol is of Vermont granite. 
The building covers two acres of ground and is 520 feet 
long. The height from the ground to the top of the 
statue on the dome is 272 feet. There are 475 rooms; 
and the interior decorations, the fixtures, and the furni- 
ture all captivate the eye by their magnificent profu- 
sion. Pennsylvania's" capitol ranks with the greatest 
of monumental edifices in America. 

The dedication took place October 4, 1906. Fifty 
thousand people had come to Harrisburg from the four 
corners of the state. Governor Pennypacker acted as 
master of ceremonies. Ex-Governor Stone, as president 
of the Capitol Buildiug Commission, handed a golden 
key to Governor Pennypacker to signify the delivery 
of the new capitol to the state. The address of the day 
was delivered by Theodore Roosevelt, President of the 
United States. 

Governor Stuart. The election in 1900 resulted in 
favor of Edwin S. Stuart, Republican, for governor. 
He gave much thought to natural resources, both in his 
inaugural and in his first message to the legislature. 
He advocated the reservation of more forests, the plant- 
ing of forest trees on non-tillable lands, and the replant- 
ing of denuded forests. He also called attention to the 
streams and rivers in the state, urging that they be kept 
pure and never-failing, be turned to use in making mo- 
tive power, and not be allowed to wash away soil and 
destroy property by overflow. Water-rights should not 



THE PERIOD SINCE THE CIVIL WAR 199 

be granted without regard for the pubhc good. The 
exhaustion of the coal mines was given serious consid- 
eration. 

A cattle plague. Late in the year 1908, several car- 
loads of cattle from the stock yards at Buffalo were 
shipped to different places in Pennsylvania. Within a 
week, nine outbreaks of aphthous fever — a foot-and- 
mouth disease — were found in fourteen counties. The 
state veterinarian killed the infected herds, buried them, 
and disinfected the premises. The state paid one third 
of the loss to the farmers, and the United States two 
thirds. No cattle, sheep, goats, or swine, nor undisin- 
fected hay, straw, hides, or wool, were allowed to be 
removed from the state during the continuance of the 
(Usease. 

Founders' Week in Philadelphia. On Saturday, 
October 3, 1908, Philadelphia began to celebrate its 
225th anniversary. The celebration continued one 
week. Since the early history of Philadelphia is also the 
early history of Pennsylvania, people from all over 
the state participated in Founders' Week. On Monday 
a military parade, heralded at sunrise by the booming of 
cannon from warships on the Delaware, passed through 
the streets. Tuesday was German Day, to commemo- 
rate the settlement of Germantown. On Wednesday 
the industries of the city passed in review before a half 
million people. One float, drawn by forty horses, carried 
a telephone exchange, showing the operators at work. 
In the evening the workingmen paraded. On Thursday 
a flotilla of all sorts of boats passed in review around a 



200 A SHORT HISTORY OF PEXXSYLVAXIA 

squadron of men-of-war from the North Atlantic fleet. 
'Friday saw the climax of Founders' Week in an histori- 
cal pageant that illustrated man}' pages of Pennsylvania's 
history. It was one of the most elaborate and artistic 
displays of its kind ever made in any American city. 

The North Pole reached. Though the discovery of 
the North Pole, on April (J, 1909, was in no sense a state 
afTair, it nevertheless may be proudly mentioned in the 
history of Pennsylvania; for Peary, the discoverer, was 
a Pennsylvanian, and his first Arctic ex]3edition was 
made under the auspices of the Philadelphia Academy 
of Natural Sciences. 

Looking backward and forward. Looking backward, 
let us see win' AMlliam Penn braved the broad and 
stormy sea and landed on the banks of the Delaware. 
He wanted to make ''a holy experiment," as he said, bv 
planting a colony that was to l^e ''an asylum for the 
•good and the oppressed of every nation." He wanted 
the colony to grow to be a great and prosperous jjrov- 
ince. He wanted the people to make the laws and then 
obey them. That he did his part to bring about these 
things, is seen in the history of Pennsylvania. 

Looking forward, it is for us and coming generations 
to make Pennsylvania more and more what its founder 
wished it to be. If William Penn could speak to the 
people of his state to-day, he would tell them that the}' 
can honor him most by making good laws and obeying 
them. Let us therefore be loyal to his hopes and wishes. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 

THE GOVERXOES OF PEXySTLFAXTA 

WILLIAM MARKHAM ( under Penn, 1G81 - 1682 ; under 
Fletcher, 1693-1695 ; under Penn, 1695-1699 ; and in Delaware 
under Penn, 1691-1693) was a cousin of William Penn, a soldier by 
profession, and but twenty-one years of age when he arrived as 
Deputy- Governor. He came to Philadelphia by way of New York, 
where he informed the Governor of that colony that his rule of the 
Delaware liad passed into William Penn's hands. He died in Phila- 
delphia, 1704, and was buried with military honors by direction of 
Governor Evans. Pennsylvania owes much to William Markham. 
He nursed the colony in its infancy, and the child no doubt caused 
him many a sleepless night. 

WILLIAM PENN (1682-84, 1699-1701) was born in London in 
1644. His father was Admiral William Penn, who had distinguished 
himself in the British navy, and was anxious that his only son should 
be a man of prominence. To this end, he sent William to Oxford. 
While there, the youth became deeply impressed by the preaching 
of the Quaker, Thomas Loe, and was expelled from college for re- 
fusing to comply with certain regulations of dress, which he now 
regarded as wrong. To efface the impressions of Loe's preaching. 
Admiral Penn sent his son to the Continent, where he traveled for 
a time. Upon returning, William studied law, became an attache 
to his father in the naval service, and in 1665 assumed the man- 
agement of a family estate near Cork. He acquired some military 
renown as a soldier, and had a portrait of himself painted in mili- 
tary costume. While in Ireland, Penn once more heard Thomas 
Loe preach, and this time the arrow of conviction went straight to 
his heart. He joined the Friends, adopted their principles, and 
shared their persecutions. At a meeting in Cork, he, with others, 
was arrested and thrown into prison. When released, he began to 
preach and write the Quaker doctrine. The conversion to the 
Quakers of so prominent a person as the son of Admiral Penn was 
the talk of the kingdom. The father tried hard to undo Loe's 
work, and even made his son leave home; but William refused to 
depart from the Quaker customs, even so much as to take off his 
hat to his father, the King and the Duke of York. During his 
banishment from home, a mother's love provided him secretly with 

201 



202 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

an allowance. His writings being regarded as heretical, he was 
arrested and thrown into the Tower of London for eight months, 
where he wrote his celebrated work, "No Cross, No Crown." Ad- 
miral Penn now became touched by the heroic conduct of his son, 
and had him liberated. The two were reconciled, and William 
again took charge of the estates in Ireland, but only for a short 
time. Resuming his preaching in England in 1670, he was once 
more thrown into prison. After being released again, he continued 
to write, preach, and travel in the interests of civil and religious 
liberty, and upon his return from Germany and Holland his his- 
tory merged into that of Pennsylvania. 

THOMAS LLOYD (President of Council, 1684-86; one of five 
Commissioners, 1686-88; President of Council, 1690-91; Deputy- 
Governor, 1691-93) was entrusted with the keeping of the Great 
Seal when Penn sailed for England in 1684. He had been educated 
at Oxford and had held places of trust in England. Having become 
a Quaker, he resolved to come to Pennsylvania, where he arrived in 
1683, on the same ship with Pastorius. Lloyd's first office was 
that of land commissioner, of whom there were three. When he 
asked to be relieved from his executive duties in 1688, Penn gave 
his consent very reluctantly, yet he afterwards served twice in the 
same capacity. He died in 1694, at the early age of 45. 

JOHN BLACKWELL (1688-90) had been a captain in Crom- 
well's army, and was at the time of his selection in one of the 
New England colonies. "Since no Friend," says Penn, "would 
undertake the Governor's place, I took one that was not, and a 
stranger, that he might be impartial and more reverenced." But 
Penn's hopes were not realized. After a little more than a year of 
turbulent rule, the Military Governor was relieved of his authority; 
and he expressed his thanks that he had escaped from his troubtes. 

ANDREW HAMILTON (1701-1703), the first Deputy-Gover- 
nor after Markham's long and repeated rule, was a native of Scot- 
land and a merchant in Edinburgh. On his arrival in America, he 
was made Governor of New Jersey. He planned a system of post 
offices in the colonies, and was made Deputy Postmaster- General 
for all the plantations. He died as Governor of Pennsylvania, 
while on a visit to his family at Amboy, New Jersey, in 1703. 

EDWARD SHIPPEN (President of Council, 1703-04) succeeded 
to executive authority on the death of Hamilton. He was Phila- 
delphia's first mayor. Tradition has it that he was distinguished 
for three things— the biggest man, the biggest house and the biggest 
carriage. He came early into the province from Boston, whither 
he had gone from England, and whence he had fled on account of 
the persecutions meted out to the Quakers. He was the grand- 
father of Chief Justice Shippen and an ancestor of Dr. William 
Shippen, the first medical lecturer in Philadelphia, and the second 
in America. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 203 

JOHN EVANS (1704-1709) was of Welsh descent, but born in 
London. When appointed Governor, he was a member of the 
Queen's household. He was too young and inexperienced to make 
a ffood executive, while his private life gave great offense. William 
Penn the younger had come with him to Philadelphia, and the 
two held high carnival at times in the staid and quiet city of that 
day. 

CHARLES GOOKIN (1709-17) was an Irishman. He was the 
opposite of Evans in age and morals; yet he did not please the 
Assembly. He had been a captain in the English army, and the 
selection of a military Governor under Penu, " the Apostle of 
Peace," was somewhat of an anomaly. He returned to England 
after his term of office. 

SIR WILLIAM KEITH (1717-26) was the son of a Scotch baron, 
and had held office under the British government before he was 
appointed Governor, having been for some time the King's surveyor 
of customs for the southern provinces. In this capacity he had 
visited Philadelphia and become favorably known there. Having 
made himself popular with the people, he was elected to the As- 
sembly upon retiring from the governorship. He went back to Eng- 
land afterwards and died in obscurity. 

PATRICK GORDON (1726-36) was another military man, hav- 
ing served from his youth in the English army. William Penn had 
died in Keith's administration and Gordon was accordingly ap- 
pointed by Springett Penn, the heir-at-law of the proprietary 
family. He died in office in 1736, after ten years of a happy ad- 
ministration. 

JAMES LOGAN ( President of Council, 1736-38 ) came to 
America with Pennon his second visit in 1699, as secretary. He 
was born in Ireland, of Scottish parentage, in 1674, and at the age 
of thirteen had acquired Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Later he 
became proficient in mathematics and the modern languages. He 
made investigations in botauy and other sciences, wrote books and 
corresponded with the learned men in Europe. His library was 
joined with Franklin's to make the Philadelphia library, the first 
circulating library in the colonies. Penn invested him with many 
important trusts, which were nobly discharged. Although he never 
was Governor in name, in his capacity as secretary of the Province, 
menl)er of the Council, commissioner of property, and Chief 
Justice, he was everything to Penn and the Penn family from the 
day he entered their service until he died, in 1751. He was a 
warm friend of the Indians. His classic home at Stenton, near 
Germantown, was nearly always surrounded l)y Indian delegations, 
who camped there to seek advice and favor from their honored 
friend "hid in the bushes." 

SIR GEORGE THOMAS (1738-47), the son of a wealthy 
planter, was boru at Antigua, in the West Indies. He was a mem- 



204 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

ber of the government of that island when appointed, and after his 
term of office was Governor of the Leeward and Carribee Islands. 
He afterwards became a baronet, and died in London. 

ANTHONY PALMER (President of Council, 1747-48) was a 
gentleman of wealth, who had come to the Province in 1708, from 
the West Indies. It is said that he lived in great style, keeping a 
coach and a pleasure barge, in which he made his visits from the 
"Governor's House" at Shackamaxon to the city. He died in 
1749. 

JAMES HAMILTON ( 1748-54, 1759-63, and President of 
Council in 1771) was a native of Philadelphia, possessed of a large 
fortune, and experienced in the affairs of the Province by serving 
as Prothonotary. He was twice appointed Governor, serving ten 
years altogether. He held other offices, and was a very popular 
man until the Revolutionary movement began, when he took sides 
with the Crown. He died in New York in 1783. 

ROBERT HUNTER MORRIS (1754-56) was bred a lawyer, 
and was Chief Justice of New Jersey for twenty years. His ad- 
ministration in Pennsylvania occurred at a stormy time in the his- 
tory, and neither he nor the Province had many pleasant recollec- 
tions of it. Upon his retirement, he returned to New Jersey, 
where he died in 1764. 

WILLIAM DENNY ( 1756-59 ) was born in England. On 
finishing his career as Governor of Pennsylvania, he returned 
thither, where he retired on an annuity from the Crown. He was 
received at Philadelphia with great honors ; but his disagreements 
with the Assembly made his recall necessary. He had to sign bills 
contrary to his instructions in order to get his salary. 

JOHN PENN (1763-71 and 1773-1776), the son of Richard and 
grandson of William Penn, was a native of Philadelphia, born in 
1728. He was twice Governor — from 1763 to 1771, and again from 
1773 to the end of the proprietary government, in 1776. He re- 
mained here during tlie Revolution, and, having refused to sign a 
parole, was confined in New Jersey and Virginia. He died at his 
home in Bucks county, 1795, and was buried in Christ's graveyard, 
from which his remains were afterwards transferred to England. 

RICHARD PENN (1771-73), brother of John Penn, and, hence, 
also grandson of William Penn, was born in England, 1734. After 
coming here, he became a member of the Provincial Council and a 
naval officer. As Governor, he secured public confidence to such 
an extent that when, in 1775, he sailed for England, the second 
petition of Congress to the King was entrusted to him for pre- 
sentation to the Privy Council. Parliament availed itself of his 
information on American affairs, and he subsequently became a 
member of that body. He died in England in 1811. 

BENJAMIN P^RANKLIN (ehaiiman of Committee of Safety, 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 



205 




Franklin's Grave. 



1776-77; and President of Supreme Executive Council, 1785-88) 
was born at Boston, in 1706, but disagreeing with his brother, to 
whom he had been apprenticed as a printer, he came to Philadel- 
phia in 1723. He got work from Andrew Bradford, and in a year 
had saved enough to seek his fortune in London. He soon re- 
turned to Philadelphia, and again worked as a journeyman ; but 
not long, for in 1830 he had 
a printing establishment, 
was editor and proprietor of 
the Pennsylvania Ga~ctte, and 
had married Deborah Reed, 
the girl that laughed at him 
when he walked past her 
house eating dry rolls. Two 
years later, Franklin pub- 
lished "Poor Richard's Al- 
manac," the first number be- 
ing "for the year of Christ 
1733." He was now a busy 
man, yet he studied French, 
Italian, Spanish, and Latin, 
wrote pamphlets and essays, 
and gave time to society and 
the lodge. In 1736 he got 
his first salaried oflfice, clerk of the Assembly ; and with that 
appointment began his long life of public service, more varied 
and extended than that of any other man in America. The fact 
that he signed the Declaration of Independence, the treaty of 
alliance with France, the treaty of peace with England, and 
the Federal Constitution, shows what great services he rendered 
to the United States. The last years of his life were spent in 
great feebleness and much physical suffering, and death was wel- 
come when it came, April 17, 1790. His remains were ])uried in 
Christ Church graveyard, at the corner of Fifth and Arch streets, 
where thousands stop every year to look at the modest tomb- 
stones of Benjamin and Deborah Franklin. 

THOMAS WHARTON, JR. (1777-78), was born in Philadel- 
phia, 1735, his grandfather having emigrated from England to 
Pennsylvania the year after Penn's arrival. Being a warm 
supporter of the Revolution, he was made President of the Su- 
preme Executive Council, in 1777, and as such, became the first 
Executive of Pennsylvania as a State. He died in office while the 
seat of government was temporarily at Lancaster, during the oc- 
cupation of Philadelphia by the British. At the request of the 
vestry, his body was entombed within the walls of Trinity Church, 
Lancaster. 

GEORGE BRYAN f May -December, 1778) was Vice-President 
of the Council when Thomas Wharton, Jr., died. He thereupon 



206 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

assumed the office of President and Chief Executive. He was a 
native of Ireland, and upon settling in Philadelphia engaged in 
the mercantile business, but was not successful. He was long in 
the puVjlic service — member of the Stamp Act Congress, of the 
Assembly, and of the Executive Council. He was a sincere pa- 
triot at all times, and his sympathy for his fellowman made him 
a champion for human freedom. (See p. 172.) He died in 1791, 
and lies buried in the Presbyterian graveyard, Arch street, near 
Fifth, Philadelphia. 

JOSEPH REED (1778-81) was born at Trenton, New Jersey, 
1741. After graduating at the College of New Jersey (Princeton), 
and studying law in London, he practiced law and held office in his 
native State. Upon settling in Philadelphia, he became at once 
prominent in public affairs, serving on the Committee of Corres- 
pondence, in Congress, and in the Continental Army. He declined 
the office of Chief Justice of the State, as well as a brigadier- 
generalship. As President of the Council, he was popular with the 
people on account of his energy, activity and patriotism. He was 
a leader in the establishment of the University of Pennsylvania, 
the abolition of slavery, and the divestment of the Penns of their 
proprietary rights. He died in Philadelphia, 1785, at the early 
age of 44, literally worn out in the service of his country. 

WILLIAM MOORE (1781-82), born in Philadelphia, was a 
merchant when the Revolution drew him into public affairs. He 
was active in the measures adopted by the State and Congress to 
remove the oppressions of England. After his term of office as 
President of the Council, he entered the Assembly and kept up his 
interest in public affairs till he died, in 1793. 

JOHN DICKINSON (1782-85), though born in Maryland (1732) 
and living in Delaware for a time, is claimed by Pennsylvania as 
one of her greatest sons. After studying law in Philadelphia and 
London, he hung out his sign in Philadelphia. As early as 1764 
he was a member of the Assembly, and for the next twelve years 
the leading man in Pennsylvania. His star went down for a 
time, because he opposed the Declaration of Independence as 
premature ; but he was too great to skulk. He shouldered the 
musket in defense of his country, and was made brigadier-general 
of the State militia. After he had retired to his farm in Delaware, 
he was first sent to Congress by that State and then elected as its 
executive. When the Eevolution was over, Dickinson returned to 
Philadelphia and was soon after honored with the presidency of 
the Executive Council. In the Constitutional Convention, in 1787, 
and in the campaign for its ratification by the States, he again 
demonstrated his great power and influence. When our relations 
with France were on the point of breaking, he took up his pen 
for the last time. John Dickinson died at Wilmington, Delaware, 
in 1808. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 207 

THOMAS MIFFLIN (1788-99), by bis conspicuous services as 
statesman and soldier in the Revolutionary period and after, holds 
a high place in the history of Pennsylvania He was born m 
Philadelphia in 1744, trained in the faith of the Quakers, and in- 
tended for the mercantile business, which he pursued for a time. 
He was chosen to the Assembly at the age of 28, and two years 
later he was a member of the first Continental Congress At the 
opening of the Revolution he entered the Continental Army as 
maior of a Pennsylvania battalion, and after the battle of German- 
town resigned as major-general. At the battle of Long Island, 
Mifflin covered the retreat and, in spite of a dreadful mistake in 
his orders, did it heroically. His resignation was forced upon him 
by impaired health, but Congress would not accept it, and he con- 
tinued his duties as quartermaster-general till 1778, and later on 
received the thanks of Congress for "wise and salutary plans rec- 
ommended," to reduce the general expenses After the war, he 
was elected to Congress and served as P^'^ff ^^t/^^^;^^ y?,%\-.^^^ 
was also a member of that great and honorable body which fiamed 
the Federal Constitution. His valuable service^ m the Legis- 
lature as Speaker of the Assembly and president ot the Council, 
and Tn the convention which framed the constitution of 1790, over 
which he presided, made him the almost unanimous choice for the 
fi St Governor of the State. After holding this high office as long 
as the constitution permitted, he again ^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^f^^'^^ 
and died in the harness, at Lancaster in 1800 His lemams are 
buried at the German Lutheran church of that city. 

THOMAS M'KEAN (1799-1808), whose parents were natives 
of Ireland, belonged to Pennsylvania and Delaware. He was born 
in Londonderry, Chester county, 1734, but ^tu^iedj^nd practu^^^^^ 
law in New Castle, Delaware, and was a member of the Lepsla- 
t^eoi that State. Having been well educated and endowed with 
ffreat abilitv he became one of the pillars ot the Revolut on. In 
the stamp Act Convention, held in New York, he assisted in 
dewing up the address of the colonies to the House of Commons. 
He was^a member of the ^outinental Congress fiw both Pennsy^ 
vania and Delaware, sitting in that body from 1/74 to 1783. At 
one time he was both Chief Justice of Pennsylvania and President 
of CoTgress He was at the head of the Supreme Court m Penn- 
svlvanlafoi twenty-two years. He died in Philadelphia m 181 / , 
and was buried in the grounds of the Presbyterian church, on 

SIMON SNYDER (1808-17) was born at Lancaster, and was 
the first of the German Governors of Pennsylvania H^ J^s ^ 
tanner by trade, but of studious habit^. At the age of 25 he en^ 
o-a-ed in the mercantile business at Selmsgrove now Snyder 
SoSnty He began his public career as justice of the peace. He 
iXed'to frame the Constitution of 1790, and after he entered the 
Sslature wTs chosen Speaker of the House for six successive 
terSs. He was a candidate for Governor four times, being de- 



208 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

feated the first time by a small majority and elected the other 
times by large majorities. He died in 1819, while a member of 
the Senate, and his body rests in Selinsgrove. 

WILLIAM FINDLAY (1817-20), of Scotch-Irish descent, was 
born at Mercersburg, Franklin county. He began life as a farmer. 
After he was twenty-nine he was elected to the Legislature for a 
number of terms, and subsequently held the office of State Treas- 
urer for ten years. After serving one term as Governor, he was 
elected United States Senator and served one term. He finished 
his public career as an official of the United States mint. Mr. 
Findlay died at Harrisburg in 1816, at the residence of his son- 
in-law, Governor Shunk, and was buried in that city. 

JOSEPH HIESTER (1820-23) was a native of Bern township, 
Berks county, his father having emigrated from Germany. Joseph 
served his country most loyally in the Revolution. He raised a 
company at the very outbreak, and when the battalion was formed 
was appointed major. He was wounded and taken prisoner in the 
battle of Long Island, and was confined in a prison ship for a 
year. When exchanged, he was again wounded at Germantown. 
He received extensive training as a statesman in the Legislature, 
the constitutional convention of 1790, and Congress. He died in 
1832, and is buried in the grounds of the German Reformed 
church of Reading. 

JOHN ANDREW SHULZE (1823-29), born at Tulpehoeken, 
Berks county, was the son of a German clergyman, and he himself 
had served as pastor of several Lutheran congregations in Berks 
county before his health demanded that he should engage in some- 
thing else. He entered the mercantile business at Myerstown, 
then Dauphin county, and, becoming interested in i)olities, was 
elected to the Legislature. When the new county of Lebanon was 
organized, in 1813, he accepted an office in it, which he held for 
eight years. After that, he again entered the Legislature, serving 
in both houses. At the end of his second term, he engaged in 
agricultural pursuits, but before his death he removed to Lancas- 
ter, where he died in 1852. 

GEORGE WOLF (1829-35) was a native of Allen township, 
Northampton county, but his father had been born in Germany. 
George received a classical and a legal education, and was well 
prepared for the important duties of his life. He studied law while 
he was principal of an academy, and rose rapidly in public favor. 
Having been a clerk in a county office before he was of age, it is 
not surprising that he had been postmaster of Easton, clerk of the 
orphans' court and member of the Legislature before he was forty. 
In 1824 he was elected to Congress, and served in that body till 
elected Governor, in 1829. After serving in the gubernatorial chair 
for six years and writing his name indelibly upon the pages of Penn- 
sylvania's history, he entered the service of the United States in 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 209 

the capacity first of Controller of the Treasury and afterwards 
of Collector of the Port in Philadelphia, in which city he died in 
1840. His remains were buried in Harrisburg, the scene of his 
great services in behalf of his beloved State. Governor Wolf was a 
man of the people and always mindful of their best interests. He 
was the first executive to have his ofiice in the Capitol; his prede- 
cessors had used a room in their private residence for that purpose, 
much to the annoyance of those who were not accustomed to ser- 
vants in waiting, stationed at every turn. 

JOSEPH RITNER (December 15, 1835 -January 15, 1839) was 
the third Governor born in Berks county. His father was a 
German farmer and, like most farmer boys of his day, Joseph 
received but a meager education. When a young man, he removed 
to Washington county, where he engaged in farming. By the 
force of his mental vigor, he soon proved himself a useful man 
in his new home, and the people lionored him with a seat in 
the Legislature. He served six years and rose to the position of 
Speaker. As the successor of Wolf, he became the guardian of a 
precious legacy — the common school law ; and he handed it down 
to posterity without the loss of one jot or tittle. At the end of 
his career as Governor, Ritner retired to a farm near Mount 
Rock, Cumberland county, where he died at the ripe old age of 
eighty- nine. President Taylor, in 1848, appointed him Director 
of the Mint at Philadelphia, but a favorite of Fillmore succeeded 
to the office soon afterwards. The following are the opening 
lines of a poem by Whittier on Ritner's message of 1836: 

" Thank God for the token ! one lip is still free, — 
One spirit untrammelled,— unbending one knee !" 

DAVID RITTENHOUSE PORTER (1839-45), whose paternal 
ancestors had come from Ireland, was born in Montgomery county, 
near Norristown. Andrew, his father, was an officer in the Revo- 
lutionary army and was once offered a position in Madison's Cabi- 
net. Horace Porter, son of the Governor, distinguished himself in 
the Rebellion and was appointed Minister to France by President 
McKinley. David received a classical education and, while assist- 
ing his father, who was Surveyor-General, studied law; but 
his health demanded a more active occupation. He therefore en- 
gaged in the manufacture of iron in Huntingdon county. After 
representing his adopted county in the Legislature, both as Repre- 
sentative and Senator, he was elected Governor and served two 
terms. He died at Harrisburg in 1867, and was buried there. 

FRANCIS RAWN SHUNK (1845-48) was of German descent 
and a native of Montgomery county, having been born near the 
Trappe, in the same year, with Governor Porter, 1788. At the 
early age of fifteen he began to teach, and when a young man he 
was appointed clerk in the Surveyor-General's office by Governor 
Porter's father. In 1814 he shouldered the musket in defense of 
Baltimore against the British. At the age of twenty -eight he 
began the practice of law and became interested in politics. He 

14 



210 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

was clerk of the House of Representatives for several years and 
secretary to the Canal Commissioners. In 1842 he removed to 
Pittsburg and practiced his profession. About six months before 
his term as Governor had expired, he was forced to resign on ac- 
count of shattered health. He died July 30, 1848, and his dust 
reposes with that of his kindred, at the Trappe, his native place. 

WILLIAM FREAME JOHNSTON (1848-1852), whose father 
was Scotch- Irish, was born at Greeusburg, Westmoreland county, 
1808. He received a common school and academic education, 
studied law and began the practice of his profession in Armstrong 
county. He soon rose to prominence and became district at- 
torney. He next represented his county in the House, and later, 
his district in the Senate. In the financial crisis of 18o7, he 
proposed a measure of relief in the Legislature, whose salutary 
effects made him very popular. After his term as Governor, he 
was engaged in the manufacture of iron and the production of coal 
and petroleum. He was appointed Collector of the Port at Phila- 
delphia by President Johnson, but the Senate would not confirm 
him on account of its hostility to the administration. He died at 
Pittsburg in 1872, and was buried there. 

WILLIAM BIGLER (1852-55) was born of German parents, at 
Shermansburg, Cumberland county. While William was quite 
young, the family removed to Mercer county, where the father died 
and left them struggling on on a small backwoods farm. It would 
have been a great solace in his dying hour if he could have seen 
the future of two of his sons, one of whom, John, became Gover- 
nor of California, and the other, William, Governor of Pennsyl- 
vania. Burdened with the support of their widowed mother, the 
boys had to be content with a meager schooling. William learned 
the printing trade, and was employed for several years by his 
brother John, in the ofliee of the Centre Democrat, published at 
Belief onte. Andrew G. Curtin, afterwards Governor, influenced 
William to commence the publication of a political paper at Clear- 
field. Under many misgivings, he founded the Clearfield Democrat, 
and laid the foundation of his political career. Disposing of his 
paper, he went into the lumber business and became the fore- 
most lumber merchant on the West Branch. He was elected to the 
State Senate in 1841, and in his own county received every vote 
cast but one. He was elected Speaker twice, and reelected to the 
Senate twice. His great service in the Legislature was rendered 
in advocating the bill giving the right of way for the construction of 
the Pennsylvania Central railroad. A great effort was made then to 
connect Philadelphia and Pittsburg by means of the Baltimore and 
Ohio railroad, through Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the west- 
ern counties of Pennsylvania, instead of by a direct route across 
the Alleghenies. After his retirement from the Governor's office, 
he became president of the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad Com- 
pany, and represented the State one term in the United States 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 211 

Senate. At the close of his public life, he devoted himself to his 
business affairs and to the welfare of his town — Clearfield — where 
he died and was buried in 1880. 

JAMES POLLOCK (1855-58), whose ancestors emigrated from 
the north of Ireland and settled in Chester county, was born at 
Milton, Northumberland county, 1810. He was educated at the 
academy of his native town and at Princeton College. His schol- 
arly attainments secured him the degree of LL.D. from his alma 
mater and from Jefferson College. Soon after being admitted 
to the bar, he was elected district attorney of Northumberland 
county. He represented his district in Congress from 1843 to 1849, 
and was then appointed president judge of the district including 
Northumberland. After the expiration of his official term. Gover- 
nor Pollock resumed the practice of law at Milton. He bore a 
prominent part in the convention at Washington, between the 
North and South, in 1860, to prevent an appeal to arms for the 
settlement of the strife between the two sections. He was Director 
of the Mint at Philadelphia from 1861 to 1866, and was instru- 
mental in getting the motto, ''In God we trust," placed upon the 
coins. He re-eeived the same appointment again under Grant's 
administration. Mr. Pollock remained an honored and respected 
citizen until his death, which occurred in Lock Haven, in 1890 His 
remains are interred in the Milton cemetery. 

WILLIAM FISHER PACKER (1858-61), of Quaker ancestry, 
was born in 1807, in Howard township. Centre county, his father 
having removed from Chester county. Like his predecessors, 
Pollock and Bigler, William was left fatherless when a child, and 
had to encounter the hardships of life early. He learned the art 
of printing before he was fifteen, but, after working at the trade 
for a few years, studied law at Williamsport. However, he never 
applied for admission to the bar. Instead, he bought an interest 
in the Williamsport Gazette, and later helped to establish the 
Keystone, a Democratic paper at Harrisburg. He served on the 
Board of Canal Commissioners, was Auditor -General, and a member 
of the House and Senate before he became Governor. While in 
the Legislature, he took the leading part in passing the bill to in- 
corporate the company that built the Northern Central railroad 
above Harrisburg. At the close of his term as Governor, Mr. 
Packer, owing to declining health, retired to his home in Williams- 
port, where he died and was laid to rest in 1870. 

ANDREW GREGG CURTIN (1861-1867) was born, 1817, in 
Bellefonte, Centre county. His father was a native of Ireland, 
one of the first iron manufacturers in central Pennsylvania, and a 
man of liberal education and great prominence. Andrew was edu- 
cated in private schools at Bellefonte and Harrisburg, and in the 
academy at Milton. He read law at home, and took a course at 
Dickinson College. He commenced the practice in 1839, and at 
once took high rank in his profession. He entered the political 



212 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

arena to win. After helping Harrison and Clay and Taylor in 
their Presidential contests, his first prize came in the form of Sec- 
retary of the Commonwealth and Superintendent of Common 
Schools, under Pollock. As School Superintendent, he labored 
hard to enable the law establishing the county superintendency to 
take root in public opinion. Governor Curtin was called to rule 
the State at the most critical period of its history ; but he was equal 
to the occasion, and fulfilled every expectation that his inaugural 
address of 1861 had aroused in the minds of the people. So ar- 
duous were his duties that, at the end of his first term, his health 
demanded a change, and in November, 1864, he sailed for Cuba, to 
spend the winter months there. In 1868, he was a prominent 
candidate for Vice-President on the ticket with Grant, and when 
the latter had been elected President, he made Curtin Minister to 
Russia, a position he held till 1872. Pennsylvania's "War Gover- 
nor" will always be held in the dearest remembrance. He de- 
voted every moment of his time, every thought of his mind, and 
every fiber of his strength, to the success of the Union army and 
the welfare of the boys from Pennsylvania who fought in that 
army. Yea, more ! From the time of that cold Thanksgiving 
morning when the two waifs, begging at his house in Harrisburg, 
told him their father had been killed in battle, his great heart also 
had a place for the soldiers' orphans. After retiring from public 
life, Mr. Curtin resided in Bellefonte until his death, in 1894. His 
remains rest in Union Cemetery. 

JOHN WHITE GEARY (1867-73), of Scotch-Irish descent, 
was born near Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland county, 1819. Be- 
fore he had graduated at Jefferson College, his father died and he 
had to teach school to finish his course. After a brief experience 
as a merchant's clerk in Pittsburg, he became a civil engineer. 
When the Mexican war broke out, his career as a soldier began 
with the appointment of lieutenant -colonel. Having won distinc- 
tion at Chapultepec, Geary was made Colonel, and first comman- 
der of the city of Mexico after its capture. 
Later, when the conquests of the war had been 
put under the control of the United States, 
Colonel Geary was made postmaster of San 
Francisco, then alcalde of the city, and finally its 
first mayor. Upon his return to Pennsylvania, 
he lived on his farm in Westmoreland county 
until 1856, when he was made Governor of the 
Territory of Kansas. He found the anti-slavery 
and pro- slavery parties arrayed in arms against 
each other ; but he disbanded their armies and 
sent them home. Under his course, the cause 
James Buchanan. ®^ slavery would have been crushed in Kansas 
then, but he resigned when Buchanan was 
elected, because he felt that he was no longer wanted. Early in 
1861, he raised the 28th Pennsylvania regiment and rose to the 




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 213 

rank of brigadier-general. His command won glory at Fredericks- 
burg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain, and in Sher- 
man's march to the sea. After the capture of Savannah, General 
Geary was made Military Governor. His ripe experience and 
patriotic services made him a great favorite for Governor of Penn- 
sylvania in 1866. His second term expired January 21, 1873, and 
he died suddenly on the 8th of the following month, at the Capital 
city, where he was buried. 

JOHN FREDERICK HARTRANFT (1873-79) was born in New 
Hanover township, Montgomery county, in 1830. As his name 
indicates, he was of German descent. Preparing for college at 
Treemount Seminary, Norristown, and taking the freshman year at 
Marshall College, Mercersburg, he graduated at Union College, 
Schenectady, in 1853. He read law, and was admitted to the bar 
at Norristown in 1859. Two years later, the young lawyer raised 
the 4th Pennsylvania regiment and helped to fight the battle of 
Bull Run, as a member of General Franklin's staff, the three 
months' enlistment of his regiment having expired the day before. 
He then organized the 51st regiment, led the famous charge that 
carried the stone bridge at Antietam, participated in all the 
engagements of the 9th corps, including Vicksburg ; was made 
brigadier-general in 1864, gallantly recaptured Fort Steadman, 
and was breveted major-general. After the war, he served as 
Auditor- General of the State two terms. When he retired from the 
Governorship, he was made major-general of the National Guard, 
and served successively as Postmaster and Collector of the Port, in 
Philadelphia. He died at Norristown, in 1889, and his body rests 
by the banks of the Schuylkill. An equestrian statue has been 
erected to his memory on the Capitol grounds in Harrisburg. 

HENRY MARTIN HOYT (1879-83), a descendant of an old 
New England family, was born at Kingston, Luzerne county, in 
1830. He worked upon his father's farm until he was grown. 
Then he prepared for college and entered Lafayette, but finished 
his education at Williams College, Mass., in 1849. He was a 
teacher in a high school at Towanda and in Wyoming Semi- 
nary at Kingston. He was admitted to the bar at Wilkes-Barre, 
in i853. At the outbreak of the civil war he helped to raise the 
52d regiment, and was made lieutenant-colonel. For meritorious 
service he was mustered out at the close of the war as brevet 
brigadier-general. He served as Judge in the courts of Luzerne 
and as Internal Revenue Collector before he became Governor. 
When he left Harrisburg he practiced law in Philadelphia and 
Luzerne, and gained no little reputation as a historian and po- 
litical economist. He died in Wilkes-Barre in 1892, and is buried 
there. 

ROBERT EMORY PATTISON (1883-87 and 1891-95), whose 
ancestors dwelt across Mason and Dixon's Line, is the son of a 
prominent Methodist clergyman, and was born at Quantico, Som- 



214 A SHORT HLSTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

erset county, Maryland, in 1850. The father removing to Phila- 
delphia, Robert was educated in the public schools of that city, 
graduating as the valedictorian of his class in the Central High 
School. He was admitted to the bar in 1872, and five years later 
was elected City Controller, an office which his valuable services 
enabled him to hold for two terms, though he did not belong to 
the ruling party. On the strength of the popularity thus ac- 
quired, he was nominated and elected Grovernor in 1882, the 
youngest that the State has ever had, l^eing but thirty -two years 
old. Having spent four years as a private citizen, he was again 
elected Governor. After his retirement in 1895, he lived i:i 
Philadelphia until his death, 1904. 

JAMES ADAMS BEAVER (1887-91), whose forefathers 
came from the Palatinate, in Germany, was born at Millerstown, 
Perry county, in 1837. He was prepared for college at Pine Grove 
Mills Academy, Centre county, and graduated at Jefferson Col- 
lege, Canonsburg, in 1856. He studied law at Belief onte and 
began his professional career there. When the civil war com- 
menced, he entered the army as first lieutenant of the Bellefonte 
Fencibles. He rose to be lieutenant-colonel of the 45th regiment, 
colonel of the 148th, a regiment mostly reci'uited in his own county, 
and, for distinguished conduct at Cold Harbor, to that of brevet 
brigadier-general. He was several times wounded and spent 
weary weeks in the hospital. At Ream's Station, where he lost 
his leg, he joined his regiment when he had barely recovered from 
a ghastly wound in his side, received in the first assault upon 
Petersburg. Mr. Beaver became a prominent lawyer and business 
man after the war, earnest in every duty and greatly devoted to 
religion and education. In 1895 he was appointed one of the 
judges of the Superior Court. 

DANIEL HARTMAN HASTINGS (1895-99) was born in Lamar 
township, Clinton county, in 1849. His father was a native of 
Ireland, and his mother, of Scotland. Daniel passed his boyhood 
days on a farm, attended the public schools, and before he was 
fifteen years of age taught a school in his own neighborhood. In 
1867 he had attained such standing as a teacher that he went to 
Bellefonte to take charge of the academy at that place. He next 
became principal of the public schools of Bellefonte, filling the 
position for seven years and improving himself by private study at 
the same time. After editing the Bellefonte Bepuhlican, he read 
law and was admitted to the bar in 1875. He subsequently became 
interested in coal mining in Cambria county. It was while on 
business at Hastings, of that county, that the memorable flood 
occurred at Johnstown. Being Adjutant- General of the State, he 
made it his duty to assume control of the great work of relief ex- 
tended to the sufferers, and won high praises for his services. He 
was a candidate for Governor in 1890, but was defeated in the 
convention by twelve votes. He died iu Bellefonte. 1903. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 215 

WILLIAM ALEXIS STONE (1899-1903), of New England and 
Pennsylvania German descent, was born in Delmar township, Tioga 
county, 1846. His early life was spent on his father's farm. He 
was educated at the State Normal School in Mansfield. He joined 
the army before he was eighteen years old, as a private in the 187th 
regiment, and participated in the siege of Petersburg, He was 
several times promoted and was advanced to the grade of second 
lieutenant in 1865. After the war. Governor Hartranft appointed 
him assistant adjutant-general of the Thirteenth division. Na- 
tional Guard, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He studied 
law and was admitted to the bar in 1870, first practicing in Wells- 
boro and later in Pittsburg, where he served as United States 
District Attorney for the Western district of Pennsylvania. Be- 
fore becoming Governor, Mr. Stone served as a member of Con- 
gress for eight years. 

SAMUEL WHITAKER PENNYPACKER (1903-1907) was 
born in Phoenixville, Chester county, LS43. He was one of the 
Pennsylvania-CJerman Governors. His ancestors were among the 
earliest settlers in Penn's province. After attentling a public school 
in Philadelphia, where his father was a professor in a medical col- 
lege, Samuel prepared for college. Instead of entering, he taught 
school in Montgomery county. In 1863, he enlisted in the army for 
a short term. Then he stuflied law and practiced in PhiladeljDhia. 
In 1889, he became judge of a Court of Common Pleas in Phila- 
delphia, in which position he served most honorably until he was 
elected Governor. He has been a member and presiding officer of 
various historical organizations. His writings are numerous and 
well-known, dealing mostly with Pennsylvania law and history. 

EDWIN SYDNEY STUART (1907- ) was born in Phila- 
delphia, 1853, of Scotch and Irish descent. His education was ac- 
quired in the public schools. At the age of thirteen, he became an 
errand-boy in " Leary's Old Bookstore," later a salesman, still later 
a buyer, and finally general manager of the business. In 1876, he 
purchased a controlling interest in the store. He took a prominent 
part in politics early in life, being a member of various Republican 
clubs and leagues. In 1891, he was elected Mayor of Philadelphia 
and served with great satisfaction to the people. When McKinley 
and Roosevelt were* elected, he was the president of the Electoral 
College in Pennsylvania. As Governor, his popularity was not ex- 
ceeded by any of his predecessors. 



OTHER HISTORICAL PERSONS 

WILLIAM ALLEN, of Philadelphia, was Chief Justice of 
Pennsylvania from 1750 to 1774. He aided Benjamin West, and 
cooperated witii Dr. Franklin in founding the College of Philadel- 
phia. He bought the land for the State House and paid for it with 
his own money. He believed in the cause of the colonies, but not 
in revolution or independence. He went to England in 1774, and 
there advocated a plan for restoring harmony. His sons agreed 
with him in sentiment, and all were on both sides of the contest at 
one time or another. Andrew was on the Council of Safety and in 
the Continental Congress, but deserted the cause in 1776, and his 
estate was confiscated. William was with Montgomery at Quebec, 
but in 1778 raised the regiment of Pennsylvania Loyalists. James 
took no part, but remained quiet in the country. 

JOHN ARMSTRONG, of Carlisle, after his daring achieve- 
ment at Kittanning, was of continued service to the frontier set- 
tlements during the French and Indian war, and in the Revolution 
he rose to be a major-general. He was at Fort Moultrie, and 
commanded the militia at Brandy wine and Germantown. He served 
twice in the Continental Congress. 

JACK ARMSTRONG, known as "Captain Jack," the "black 
hunter," the "black rifle," the "wild hunter of the Juniata," the 
"black hunter of the forest," was from Cumberland county. He 
entered the wilds of the Juniata, built himself a cabin and lived by 
hunting and fishing. One evening when he returned from his 
sports, he found his wife and children murdered and his cabin 
burned. From that time on he forsook civilized life, lived in caves, 
and protected the frontier settlers from the Indians, asking no re- 
ward but the gratitude of those whom he rescued. "Jack's Nar- 
rows," a narrow passage of the Juniata through Jack's mountain, 
below Huntingdon, was named after him. 

LETITIA AUBREY, only daughter of William Penn, born of his 
first wife, and called "Tishe" by him, lived in Pennsylvania during 
her father's second sojourn here. She was an interesting woman. 
She was lively and beautiful, but very self-willed. Her love affair 
with Masters and her marriage to Aubrey, who was a troublesome 
son-in-law, would make a good plot for a story. Her father's heart 
was often heavy on account of her. She died in 1740, and was buried 
with the Penns in Jordan's graveyard. Her name on the tomb- 
stone is Letitia Penn. "Tishe" may appropriately be called the 
daughter of Pennsylvania. 

216 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 217 

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON was a worthy successor of Alex- 
ander Wilson in bird-lore. Though born in Louisiana, he spent 
a number of years in Pennsylvania. His father, in 1798, had 
bought him the Millgrove farm on the Perkiomen, near Schuylkill 
Falls. Here he married the daughter of an Englishman, who was 
his neighbor. Though he had previously formed a passion for 
birds, it was on this farm, where he had much leisure, that he 
pored over the idea of a great work on ornithology. He sold his 
place in 1810 and with the proceeds sailed down the Ohio, with his 
wife and child, on a bird sketching expedition. He spent years in 
American woods. In 1824 he went to Philadelphia, where he met 
Charles Lucien Bonaparte, who encouraged him to publish the re- 
sults of his researches. After two years more of exploration, he 
went to England to get subscribers for his work on "The Birds of 
America." He revisited America three times to make further re- 
searches, and died in 1851. 

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BACHE was born in Philadelphia in 
1769. His father had come from England, and married Sarah, 
the only daughter of Benjamin Franklin. The lad accompanied 
his grandfather. Dr. Franklin, to Paris, pursued his studies there 
and acquired a knowledge of printing. On his return to Phila- 
delphia he graduated at the College of Philadelphia, and in 1790 
published the first number of the General Advertiser, whose name 
was afterwards changed to the Aurora and General Advertiser. 
This paper became an ardent champion of the French Republic, 
and represented the anti- Federal party. Bache died of yellow 
fever in 1798. 

JOHN BARTRAM, born in what is now Delaware county, in 
1699, was the father of American botany. He established a 
botanical garden — the first ever attempted on this side of the 
Atlantic — on the west bank of the Schuylkill, a little below 
Philadelphia, near Grey's Ferry. His mind was probably di- 
rected to a serious study of botany by James Logan. By the aid 
of friends Bartram was enabled to travel and gather specimens, 
many of which were sent to Europe and eagerly studied there. 
His son William devoted himself to the same pursuit, and, being a 
single person, he traveled extensively, and on his return lived a 
life of seclusion at the old homestead. 

EDWARD BIDDLE was born in Philadelphia, and served as 
an ofl&cer in the French and Indian war. He then became emi- 
nent as a lawyer in Reading. He entered the Assembly before 
the Revolution, became its Speaker, and was a member of the first 
Continental Congress. He was also a member of Congress in 
1776, and one of the foremost advocates of independence, but 
could not attend the sessions on account of a lingering disease, to 
which he succumbed in 1779. 

NICHOLAS BIDDLE was born in Philadelphia in 1750. At 
the age of fifteen he was left with three other shipwrecked sailors 



218 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



on an uninhabited island in the West Indies, and was not rescued 
for two months. He next entered the British navy; but soon re- 
signed in order to join a Pohir expedition. Horatio Nelson, the 
hero of Trafalgar, was onboard the same vessel. At the outbreak 
of the Revolution Biddle was placed in charge of a vessel on the 
Delaware, but afterwards was sent to the Bahamas, where he 
made valuable captures. His next achievement was the capture 
of eleven vessels and several hundred men, on a cruise to the 
banks of Newfoundland. He had only one vessel with which to 
take these prizes and bring them back to Philadelphia. Biddle 
was now placed in command of the best ship of the navy and 
ordered to the West Indies. There, in 1778, he fell in with a 
British ship of superior armament, but would have won had not 
the magazine exploded and killed him and all his crew but four. 

JAMES BIDDLE was a native of Philadelphia. He served in 
the war with Tripoli, and was taken prisoner. In the war of 1812 
he was a lieute-nant on the Wasp when she captured the Frolic. 
He was put in command of the prize, but both ships were captured 
and taken to Bermuda. After his exchange he commanded the 
Hornet, and was wounded in the capture of the British Penquin. 
Besides a gold medal. Congress gave him the rank of captain. 

JEREMIAH SULLIVAN BLACK was born in the Glades, 
Somerset county, and was educated in a log school -house near 
his father's farm. He studied law and settled at York. At the 
early age of thirty-two he was elevated to the bench, reaching the 
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania nine years later, and serving in it 
eighteen years. He became Attorney -General in Buchanan's 
administration, and towards its close was transferred to the posi- 
tion of Secretary of State. Upon his retirement from office, in 
1861, he resumed the practice of law at York. 

HUGH HENRY BRACKENRIDGE came to America from 
Scotland at the age of five and settled, with the rest of the family, 
in York county. He graduated at Princeton by teaching school at 
intervals and tutoring at college. He thought nothing of walk- 
ing twenty or thirty miles to get the loan of a book or newspaper. 
He taught school after graduation, and early evinced his ability as 
a writer. In 1776 he went to Philadelphia and edited the United 
States Magaclne. He was licensed to preach, and served as chap- 
lain in the Revolutionary army; but he studied law and settled in 
Pittsburg. Here he distinguished himself as a lawyer, a politician, 
a judge, and a writer. Brackenridge was mixed up to some ex- 
tent with the Whisky Insurrection, and he published an account 
of it. He was Judge of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania from 
1799 to 1816. His chief work as an author is "Modern Chivalry," 
m which he gives an admirable picture of society in western 
Pennsylvania at the close of the eighteenth eentuiy. 

WILLIAM BRADFORD was one of the Quakers who, in 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 



219 



1682, landed in the woods where Phihidelphia now stands. He 
was the first printer in the Province, but after a time was charged 
with printing seditious writings, though not convicted. How- 
ever, he had become obnoxious to the settlers and went to New 
York, where, in 1725, he started its first newspaper, The New 
York Gazette. For thirty years he was the only printer in the 
colony of New York. His son Andrew, born in Philadelphia in 
1680, was the only printer in Pennsylvania till about 1725, and he 
started, on December 22, 1719, the third newspaper in the colo- 
nies and the first in Philadelphia, the American iVeekhj Mercury. 
He also had a book store, and was postmaster of the city for a time. 

SAMUEL BRADY was born in Shippensburg, and removed 
with his father to Union county, where he became a typical fron- 
tiersman. He joined the Revolutionary army at Boston when but 
seventeen, and at the battle of Monmouth won the rank of cap- 
tain. Like Van Campen, he was now selected to fight the Indians, 
and was stationed at Fort Pitt. In this capacity he won a reputa- 
tion for skill and daring that was not surpassed in all America. 
He hunted and killed Indians like game in the forest. He shot 
one Indian off a horse while the savage was carrying away a woman 
and her child ; he killed three others while they were sitting on a 
log planning how to make sure of his scalp; and he escaped from 
death at the stake by pushing a squaw with a papoose on her 
back into the fire that had been kindled for him. 

CHARLES BROCKDEN BROWN was born in Philadelphia 
in 1771, having descended from those who came to Pennsylvania 
in the good ship Welcome. He was the first American of note 
who made literature a profession, He established the Literary 
Magazine and American Register in 1803 ; but discontinued it at 
the end of five years. Two of his novels, "Arthur Mervyn" and 

"Edgar Huntley," attained 
to the rank of standard 
romance ; but most of them 
have long since been for- 
gotten, though they were 
read with avidity in his 
day. Brown lived in hum- 
ble circumstances, in a 
" low,two-story brick house, 
standing a little in from the 
street, with never a tree or 
a shrub near it." He died 
in 1810. 







Birthplace of James Buchanan. 



JAMES BUCHANAN, 
fifteenth President of the 
United States, was born at 
"Stony Batter," near Mercersburg, Franklin county, April 23, 
1791. He was the sou of a Scotch -Irish trader, and was educated 



220 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

at Dickinson College. He began the practice of law in Lancas- 
ter, 1812, and soon entered the Legislature. For ten years from 
1821, he was a member of Congress. After serving as Minister 
to Russia one year, he entered the United States Senate in 1834, 
and continued in that body till he was made Secretary of State 
by President Polk. In this position he had to settle the questions 
of "54° 40 or fight," of the acquisition of Texas, and of the 
Mexican war. Pierce sent him to England as Minister, and he 
was present at the Ostend conference, which was to bring about 
the sale of Cuba to the United States. In 1856 he was elected 
President, receiving besides the vote of several Northern States 
that of every slaveholding State except Maryland. Towards the 
close of his term, especially after Lincoln's election, the slave 
power made his administration most difficult, and his so-called 
"temporizing policy" was severely criticised. After his career in 
the White House he lived in retirement on his estate near Lan- 
caster, known as Wheatland. Here he died June 1, I8680 

THOMAS H. BURROWES, a native of Lancaster county, was 
educated at Quebec and in Trinity College, Ireland. He became 
a lawyer and practiced his profession in Lancaster. After serving 
in the Legislature, he was appointed Secretary of the Common- 
wealth by Governor Ritner, in 1835, and as such was ex-officio 
Superintendent of Common Schools, and entrusted with the execu- 
tion of the free school law passed the year before. His hand 
fashioned much of the school legislation between 1836 and the end 
of his second term as Superintendent of Common Schools, in 1863. 
Thus this man, who confessed in 1836 that he "knew no more about 
the details of schools than about the local geography of the moon," 
became a pillar in the structure of public education in Pennsylvania. 

ZEBULON BUTLER was born in Connecticut, and was a 
member of the committee of three under whose direction the first 
successful settlement was made in the Wyoming valley by the 
New Englanders. He was one of the judges while the valley was 
attached to Connecticut as the town (township) of Westmoreland. 
He was an officer in the Revolution. Being home at the time of 
the Massacre of Wyoming, he was the leader of the settlers on that 
dreadful July day, 1778. He died in Luzerne county, 1795. 

JOHN CADWALADER, of Welsh descent and born in Phila- 
delphia, was commander of " The Silk Stocking Company" when 
the Revolutionary movement began, and at once entered the 
service of the army. He was made brigadier-general and placed 
in command of the Pennsylvania militia. He cooperated in the 
capture of the Hessians and was present as a volunteer at 
Brandywine, Germantown, and Monmouth. When the "Conway 
cabal" was formed, he challenged Thomas Conway to a duel and 
shot him in the mouth, but was himself unhurt. 

SIMON CAMERON was a native of Lancaster county. He 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 221 

worked at the printer's trade in his boyhood and youth, and ed- 
ited a newspaper in Doylestown and at Harrisburg after he had 
become of age. He next became interested in banking and the 
construction of railroads, and soon acquired wealth. He was 
elected United States Senator by the Democrats in 1843 ; but 
after the repeal of the Missouri Compromise he became a Re- 
publican. In 1857 he was again elected Senator, and served till 
1861, when Lincoln appointed him Secretary of War. Not agree- 
ing with the President on the question of freeing and arming the 
slaves, Cameron resigned and accepted the post of Minister at St. 
Petersburg. He was once more elected Senator in 1867, and 
served continuously for ten years. He died in 1889. 

ANDREW CARNEGIE came from Scotland at the age of ten 
years, his family settling in Allegheny. He began life there in a 
cotton factory, then became a messenger boy for a telegraph com- 
pany and worked himself up to the position of superintendent. 
He made a fortune in oil, became interested in iron works, and soon 
was the largest manufacturer of iron, steel rails, and coke in the 
world. His public gifts, in the form of libraries to Pittsburg, 
Allegheny, and other places have been princely. His success in 
Pennsylvania was so gratifying to his admirers in Great Britain 
that the freedom of cities has been extended to him and other 
marks of high esteem, have been bestowed upon him. 

GEORGE CLYMER, whose name is affixed to the Declaration 
of Independence, was born in Philadelphia, and fell heir to the 
mercantile business of his uncle. When the opposition to Eng- 
lish rule became active, he resolved to live as a freeman or perish 
as a patriot. He was chairman of Philadelphia's tea committee. 
Continental treasurer, member of the Council of Safety, and a 
delegate in Congress at various times after July 20, 1776. In this 
body he labored hard and took high rank. His family lived in 
Chester county, and when he visited them he did so only for a 
night at a time. After the Revolution Mr. Clymer entered the 
Assembly, where his greatest service was that performed in behalf 
of abolishing the death penalty in all but the most flagrant cases 
of crime. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention, 
and of the first Congress. After serving as Revenue Collector of 
Pennsylvania during the Whisky Rebellion, he retired to private 
life and died in 1813, at Morrisville, Bucks county. 

JAY COOKE was born in Ohio, and entered a banking house 
in Philadelphia at the age of seventeen, becoming a partner when 
he arrived at his majority. He established the firm of Jay Cooke 
& Co. in 1861, and placed most of the loans of the United States 
during the Civil War. His success as the agent of the Govern- 
ment gave him the name of the "Financier of the Rebellion." 
The house prospered until it became the fiscal agent of the North- 
ern Pacific Railroad Company. He failed September 19, 1873, 
^^ Black Friday," and precipitated the panic of that year. Though 



222 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Cooke lost his fortune, his character was unsullied. His mag- 
nificent mansion — Ogontz, named after an Indian chief who was 
his friend in childhood — is now "Ogontz Seminary for Young 
Ladies," and is situated at Chelton Hills, Montgomery county. 

MARGARET CORBIN was another heroine like " Mollie 
Pitcher." She was wounded and utterly disabled at Fort Wash- 
ington, while she heroically filled the post of her husband, who 
was killed by her side, serving a piece of artillery. Her name is 
found on the rolls of the Invalid Regiment of Pennsylvania, as it 
was discharged in 1783. She was born in Franklin county, and 
died in Westmoreland county about 1800. 

TENCH COXE, born in Philadelphia and educated there, be- 
came a merchant at the age of twenty-one — in the year of the 
Declaration of Independence. He turned royalist and left the 
city to join the British. He returned with Howe and was arrested 
and paroled after the evacuation of the city. Then he turned 
Whig and entered upon a long political career. He sat in the 
Annapolis convention, in the Continental Congress, and held 
other high places ; but veered from one side of party politics to 
another. His claims to a place in history lie in his labors for 
American manufactures and his writings on political economy. He 
may justly be called the father of the American cotton industry. 

WILLIAM CRAMP was born in Kensington, now in Phila- 
delphia. He began ship building on the Delaware in 1830, when 
he was but twenty-three years old. At first he built only barks 
and brigs, but he soon received orders for larger vessels. As his 
sons grew up and learned the business, he took them into partner- 
ship, under the name of William Cramp & Sons. The Civil War 
heralded them throughout the world as chiefs in their craft. It 
was then that the Delaware became known as the "Clyde of 
America." "New Ironsides" was built for the Government in 
seven months after the order had been received. Foreign nations 
have had war vessels built at Kensington, and our own navy has 
received its finest marine warriors from the Cramps. William 
Cramp died in 1879. 

GEORGE M. DALLAS, a lawyer of Philadelphia, mayor of 
that city, and district attorney, was United States Senator from 
1831 to 1832, when he became Attorney-General of the State. For 
two years he held the post of Minister to Russia. Dallas was 
elected Vice-President on the ticket with Polk, in 1844. He was 
put on the ticket to hold the protectionist vote in Pennsylvania for 
Polk, as against Clay; but in spite of this he gave the casting vote 
in the Senate for the Walker Tariff of 1846. His last public office 
was that of Minister to England, under Buchanan's administration. 

STEPHEN DECATUR was born in Maryland while his father 
sojourned there on accouiit of British occupation of Philadelphia. 
When the family returned in 1779, Stephen was three months old. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 223 

He began service in the navy in 1798. In 1804 he distinguished 
himself by destroying the Philadelpliia, whicli liad fallen into the 
hands of Tripoli. In the war of 1812 he captured the British ship 
Macedonian, and, after a stubborn fight, had to surrender the un- 
seaworthy President. In 1815 he performed a most valuable service 
for his country by humbling the Barbary powers, with a squadron 
of ten vessels. He concluded a treaty by which tribute was 
abolished and prisoners and property restored, thus adding another 
jewel to the crown of the American navy. He ended his career in 
a duel with Commodore Barron in 1820. 

WILLIAM DUANE was the successor of Bache (see p. 304) 
in the management of the Aurora. He was a native of the north- 
ern ])art of New Yoi'k. When a lad of five, he was brought to 
Pliiladelpliia by his widowed mother, but soon afterwards taken to 
Ireland, where he was educated and apprenticed to a printer. 
Coming back to Philadelphia in 179G, he was employed as one of 
the editors of the Aurora. After Bache's death, the paper was 
known for years as "Duane's paper" and was a powerful instru- 
ment in the organization and upbuilding of the Republican, or 
Democratic party. 

REV. JACOB DUCHE was born in Philadelphia, and graduated 
at the college of that city, completing his studies in England. As 
rector of Christ Cluirch, he was a man of great influence when the 
Revolution commenced. He was chaplain of Congress in 1776, 
and gave all his salary for the relief of soldiers' widows and 
orphans. But his loyalty to the American cause failed when the 
British took possession of Philadelphia. He helped to welcome them, 
and wrote a letter to Washington urging him to give up a hopeless 
struggle. The letter was laid before Congress, and Duehe fled to 
England. He returned some time after the war, but his influence 
and position were gone. 

JOHN ELDER, one of the first clergymen in the vicinity of 
Harrisburg, was a Presbyterian from Ireland, a graduate of the 
University of Edinburgh, a scholarly man and of varied ability. 
He was pastor of the congregation at Paxtang for nearly sixty 
years. During the troublesome times with the Indians, he was 
colonel of the Paxtang Rangers. He and the men of his congre- 
gation frequently carried their rifles with them to church, so con- 
stant was their danger from the savages. The graveyard at Pax- 
tang, where Colonel Elder lies buried, and that at Derry Church, 
both in Dauphin county, are Meccas for the Scotch-Irish. 

OLIVER EVANS was a native of Delaware, but early in life 
came to Philadelphia, where he made the first high -pressure 
steam engine and the first steam dredging machine used in this 
country. This machine was put on wheels and propelled itself to 
tlie Schuylkill river, where it was fitted with a steam paddle and 
navigated down the Schuylkill and up the Delaware a short dig- 



224 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

tanee. It is supposed to have been the first steam carriage on 
land in America. He urged the construction of railroads with 
rails of wood oi- iron, but had not the means to carry his ideas into 
execution. 

JAMES EWING was a native of Lancaster county, but early 
in life settled in York. He was a lieutenant in Braddock's expedi- 
tion, served with distinction through the whole of the Revolution, 
and rose to the rank of brigadier-general. 

JOHN FENNO was a native of Boston. He established the 
Gazette of the United States in New York, when the Government 
under the Constitution began, and removed it to Philadelphia the 
next year in order to publish it at the capital of the nation. 
Fenno's paper became a strong advocate of the Federal party and 
bitterly opposed the "French faction" in the United States. He 
died of yellow fever in 1798, four days after the death of his 
political antagonist Bache, of the Aurora. 

WILLIAM FINDLEY, a native of Ireland, came to Pennsyl- 
vania in early life, served in the Revolution, and settled in West- 
moreland county, where he became active in politics. He was a 
member of the Legislature and of the State convention that 
adopted the Federal Constitution. This he actively opposed on 
the ground of its centralized power. He was eleven times elected 
to Congress, serving from 1791 to 1799 and from 1803 to 1817. 
He was an ardent supporter of the Jeffersonian party and was a 
great power as a speaker. 

THOMAS FITZSIMMONS came to Philadelphia from Ire- 
land and engaged in the mercantile business. He served in the 
Revolution as captain of a company, and his firm subscribed 
$20,000 for the support of the army. He was a member of the 
Assembly for many years and a delegate in the Continental 
Congress from 1782-3. After his services in the Constitutional 
Convention in 1787, he served in the Federal Congress from 1789 
to 1795. 

JOHN WEISS FORNEY was born in Lancaster, in 1817, and 
learned the printer's trade. He went to Philadelphia and for a 
long time edited The Pennsylvanian. He was clerk of the House 
of Representatives at Washington, and while in that position ed- 
ited the Union. In 1857 he began the Philadelphia Press, and 
continued to be its editor till 1877. Under his management the 
paper became a very powerful organ, receiving and inflicting many 
heavy blows. It was popularly known as "Forney's Press." In 
1878, Colonel Forney established Progress, a weekly literary jour- 
nal, modeled after the London World. He died in 1881, widely 
known and deeply mourned, having enjoyed the friendship of all 
the leading men of the nation during his long career as a journalist. 

JOHN FITCH was born in Connecticut, and was a watchmaker 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 



225 







by trade. He made guns for the Continental Army, and was with 
the troops at Valley Forge. Robert Fulton is said to have had 
access to his drawings and papers, and it w^as proved by the 
courts, in 1817, that his inventions and those of Fitch were in 
substance the same. Fitch once said that the day would come 
" when some more potent man will get fame and riches from my 
invention, but nobody will believe that poor John Fitch can do 
anything worthy of attention." After his enterprise on the Dela- 
ware had failed he went to France, but the French Revolution pre- 
vented a renewal of his steam navigation there. He finally went 
to Kentucky, w^here he had some land. Becoming involved in 
law suits with intruders on his possessions there, he committed 
suicide in 1798. 

ROBERT FULTON, the successful inventor of the steamboat, 
was born at Little Britain, Lancaster county, in 1765. He was 
at first a portrait painter, and at the age of 
twenty-one went to England. There he 
soon became interested in engineering and 
inventions. He next lived in France, where 
he invented the torpedo and vaiuly tried to 
get Napoleon, as well as the British Min- 
istry, to adopt it. He returned to America 
in 1806, and the next year the Clermont 
steamed from New York to Albany. He was 
afterwards employed by the Government in 
projecting navigation schemes; but owing to 
lawsuits over his patents, he never amassed 
a fortune from his inventions, though they 
brought fortunes to other men. and were of 
the greatest importance in developing the interior of the United 
States. He died in New York in 1815. 

ALBERT GALLATIN, who made a lasting mark on the sur- 
face of national politics, was born at Geneva, Switzerland, and 
became one of the most illustrious American statesmen. He was 
educated in the university of his native city and came to America 
in 1780, at the age of nineteen. After varied experiences he 
settled in Fayette county, w^iere he founded New Geneva and 
established glass-works. He soon entered the Legislature, and 
in 1793 was elected United States Senator, but was not admitted 
to his seat on account of a question raised about the time, of 
his citizenship. After his services as a mediator in the Whisky 
Insurrection, he entered Congress and distinguished himself in 
financial matters. From 1801 to 1813 he was Secretary of the 
Treasury, and made a record as one of the ablest American finan- 
ciers. He was one of the commissioners that negotiated the treaty 
of Ghent, doing more than anyone else to close the war of 1812. 
Madison offered to make him Secretary of the Treasury once more, 
but he declined, and accepted the place of Minister to France, 




Robert Fulton. 



15 



226 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

which post he held seven years. In 1826 he was sent as Envoy 
Extraordinary to Great Britain. After retiring from political life, 
he engaged in banking in New York city, and died at Astoria, on 
Long Island, in 1849. 

JOSEPH GALLOWAY was Speaker of the Pennsylvania As- 
sembly from 1766 to 1774, and he proposed a form of government 
in the Provincial Congress favorable to the Crown. When the 
Howes issued their proclamation in 1776, granting amnesty to such 
Americans as would forsake their revolutionary course, Gallo- 
way's courage failed him and he turned Tory, together with the 
Aliens, one of the most noted families in the Province. 

Galloway has fled and joined the venal Howe; 
To prove liis baseness, see him cringe and bow, 
A traitor to his country and its laws, 
A friend to tyrants and their cnrsed cause," etc. 

His estates, with that of other Tones, were confiscated, and he went 
to England. 

STEPHEN GIRARD was a descendant of a French seafaring 
family, living near Bordeaux. When a boy of eight he lost his 
right eye and a little later his mother. Doubly unfortunate, 
Stephen was anxious to escape from the surroundings of his youth. 
Receiving several thousand dollars from his father, he sailed as a 
cabin boy to Santo Domingo, made some money and formed a love 
for the sea. At the age of twenty-eight he sailed from Bordeaux 
as captain, never to return. Two years later, in 1776, he came to 
Philadelphia and stocked a small store with a cargo he had brought 
from the West Indies. He amassed a large fortune in foreign 
trade, his ships making voyages to Europe, India and China. He 
was very frugal in private life, but generous in public affairs. He 
worked in a hospital for several hours each day during the yellow 
fever epidemic, and staked his fortune to assist the country of his 
adoption in the war of 1812. He gave large sums to charity, and 
founded Girard College, which continually supports and educates 
some two thousand orphan boys within its walls. 

DAVID M'MURTRIE GREGG was born in Huntingdon in 
1833, graduated at West Point, and was assigned to the dragoons. 
After serving in several Indian campaigns, he entered the stern 
service of actual war in 1861. He began as first lieutenant in the 
cavalry and rose to be brevetted major-general of volunteers. He 
participated in most of the battles of the Army of the Potomac, 
and greatly distinguished himself as a commander of cavalry. His 
sterling qualities as a private citizen have been recognized on 
several occasions since the war. He was appointed Consul at 
Prague, Bohemia, in 1874, and was Auditor-General of the State 
from 1892 to 1895. He lives in Reading. 

GALUSHA A. GROW came to Pennsylvania from Connecti- 
cut in 1847, at the age of twenty-three, and settled in Susque- 
hanna county. He represented the " Wilmot district" in Congress 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 227 

from 1851 to 1863, occupying the Speaker's chair during the trying 
time of 1861 to 1863. He then engaged in extensive business enter- 
prises, being president of a railroad and residing for a while in 
Texas. He declined a nomination for Congress in 1879, but was 
a candidate for United States Senator in 1881, in a long, hard- 
contested struggle in the Legislature. He was then out of poli- 
tics until 1894, when he was elected Congressman-at-large by the 
enormous majority of 188,000. He has been in Congress ever 
since — as tall and erect as in the days before the Civil War. 
when Keitt, of South Carolina, assaulted him on the floor of the 
House and got the worst of the encounter. 

WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK was born in Montgomery 
county in 1824, and graduated from West Point at the age of 
twenty. He earned the title of veteran in the Mexican war by 
hard and gallant fighting, and held honorable positions in the 
regular army until the war of the Union broke out. Then he was 
summoned to Washington and made a brigadier- general in the 
Army of the Potomac. He was promoted to the rank of major- 
general, and by his magnificent bearing he won the soubriquet of 
"The Superb." His name was never mentioned as having com- 
mitted a blunder in battle for whicii he was responsible. He was 
the Democratic candidate for President in 1880, but was defeated 
by James A. Garfield. He died in 1886, and is buried at Nor- 
ristown. 

JOHN HARRIS, the first permanent settler on the Susque- 
hanna, was from Yorkshire, England, and came to Philadelphia 
some time before 1698. In 1705, he located on the Susquehanna 
as an Indian trader licensed by the province. He noticed the 
advantage of the location at the point where the Paxtang flows 
into the Susquehanna, and in 1725 established himself there per- 
manently, buying a large tract of land including the lower part 
of the present site of Harrisburg. He acquired a powerful sway 
over the Indians by his courage and good judgment. On one 
occasion he refused rum to some drunken Indians, and they tied 
him to a mulberry tree on the river front and were going to burn 
him. He was released by some friendly Indians who came to the 
spot just as the others were kindling the fire. When he died, 
in 1748, his remains, bj' his own request, were buried at the foot 
of that tree. Its decayed trunk stood in Harris Park till 1889. 
The grave is enclosed with an iron fence. His son, John Harris, 
was the founder of Harrisburg, and a prominent man in the 
affairs of the province, especially in the Indian wars. In 1753 
he got a charter to run a ferry across the Susquehanna, and the 
place became known as Harris' Ferry. 

JOHN HAZLEWOOD was an Englishman by birth and came 
to Philadelphia as captain in the merchant marine. After he had 
been made commodore of the Pennsylvania navy, the Contin( ntal 
vessels in the Delaware were also put under his command. While 



228 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Lord Howe was with his fleet in Delaware bay, in 1777, he sent 
for Commodore Hazlewood and promised him His Majesty's pardon 
and kind treatment if he would surrender the Pennsylvania fleet. 
His only reply was that he would "defend the fleet to the last." 

JOHN HECKEWELDER was born in England, and came to 
Pennsylvania with his parents when he was twelve years old. 
He became a Moravian missionary, and worked chiefly among the 
Delawares after they had been removed to the Ohio. He pub- 
lished his observations upon their language, habits and character. 
His views, which are very favorable to the Indians, have been 
warmly attacked and warmly defended. After laboring forty 
years among them, he went to Bethlehem, where he passed the 
remainder of his days in retirement. 

FRANCIS HOPKINSON was a Philadelphian, a graduate of 
the University of Pennsylvania, and a lawyer by profession. 
After spending a few years in England, he settled in Bordentown, 
New Jersey, which State he represented in Congress when the 
Declaration of Independence was signed. He helped to draft the 
Articles of Confederation. He was also at the head of the Navy 
of the Revolution for a time. By his witty satires and popular 
poems and songs, he greatly aided the cause of liberty. He was 
Judge of the Admiralty for Pennsylvania from 1779 to 1789, and 
afterwards a United States District Judge. 

JOSEPH HOPKINSON, son of Francis Hopkinson, of Revo- 
lutionary fame, was, like his father, a Philadelphian, a graduate of 
the University of Pennsylvania, a lawyer, a Congressman, and a 
United States District Judge. He is known in literature by a 
single brief production only, the patriotic song of Hail Columbia, 
which was encored the first time it was sung, by an audience that 
was "mad as the priestess of the Doric God." 

THOMAS HOVENDEN was Irish by birth and educated at the 
Cork School of Design. When a young man he came to America 
and studied art in New York. Later he went to Paris to study, 
and when he returned settled in Plymouth township, Montgomery 
county. He was a member of numerous art societies in Phila- 
delphia and New York. He painted many famous pictures, but 
is best known to the world by "Breaking Home Ties." Many a 
silent tear was dropped at the World's Fair by the multitudes that 
daily stood looking at "Breaking Home Ties." What "Home, 
Sweet Home" is in song, "Breaking Home Ties" is on canvas. 
Hovenden's negro pictures, notably "The Last Moments of John 
Brown," were painted in the studio of an old barn that had once 
done service on the underground railway. "The Confederate in a 
Pennsylvania Farm House" was his noblest expression of the 
domestic incidents of the Union war. Hovenden lost his life while 
trying to rescue a child from death under a locomotive, near Nor- 
ristown in 1895. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 229 

CHARLES HUMPHREYS, brother of Joshua the shipbuilder, 
was born at Haverford, now Montgomery county. For many years 
he was a successful miller. He was a member of the Assembly in 
1764 and again in 1775. In the latter year he became a member of 
the Continental Congress ; and, although he opposed the oppres- 
sive measures of Great Britain, he voted against the Declaration of 
Independence. 

SAMUEL HUMPHREYS was a noted shipbuilder of Phila- 
delphia. His father, Joshua, had been engaged there in the same 
occupation, and had designed and constructed the Constitution, 
the Chesapeake, the Congress, the President, and the United 
States. After the war of 1812, Samuel was asked to come to 
Russia to organize a navy, but declined, sajnng, "Whether my 
merit be great or small, I owe it all to tlie flag of my country, and 
that is a deV)t I must pay." Because he had designed, drafted, 
and constructed most of the ships launched at the port of Phila- 
delphia, and thus had helped to make the American navy victori- 
ous over England — a victory which France, Spain and Holland 
had all failed to achieve — lie was made Chief Naval Constructor of 
the United States. He held this distinguished place until he died, 
in 1846. 

JARED INGERSOLL, born in Connecticut and educated at 
Yale, met Benjamin Franklin in Paris, and soon after commenced 
the practice of law in Philadelphia, where he rose to distinction. 
He was an ardent patriot during the Revolution, member of Con- 
gress in 1780-81, and so was well prepared for the great duty of 
his life — to help frame the Constitution. He held important State 
offices afterwards, and declined the appointment of Chief Justice of 
the Federal Court. 

WILLIAM IRVINE was born in Ireland, and settled at Carlisle 
as a physician when he was twenty-one years old. In 1776 he 
raised a regiment and joined tlie army in Canada, where he was 
captured at the battle of Three Rivers. After his exchange in 
1778, he was put in command of a Pennsylvania brigade at the 
battle of Monmouth, and remained its commander until 1781. Ho 
was then transferred to Pittsburg to guard the frontier, which was 
menaced by the British and Indians. While there he became 
interested in the northwestern section of the State, and it was 
hirgely through him that the State afterwards purchased "the 
triangle." To show its gratitude for his labors, the State donated 
him a tract of land on Lake Erie. General Irvine was a member 
of the Continental Congress two years and of the third Congress 
under the Constitution. His last service in the field was as senior 
major-general in command of the troops raised to suppress the 
Whisky Insurrection, The close of his life was S])ent in Phila- 
delphia, where he held a Federal office. General Irvine had two 
brothers in the Revolution and tiiree sons in the War of 1812. 

ELISHA KENT KANE was a native of Philadelphia, and a 



230 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



graduate in medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. He 
served on the medical corps of the United States Navy, and thus 
cultivated a love for travel, which he gratified by visiting many 
parts of the world. He evinced his daring on the Philippine 
Islands by descending the crater of a volcano to its very bottom, 
charring his boots and becoming insensible from gas. In 1850, he 
joined the Arctic expedition sent out in search of Sir John 
Franklin. Upon the return of the expedition from its fruitless 
voyage, he organized one under his own command and set sail in 
1853, taking as surgeon Dr. I. I. Hayes, of Chester county, who 
afterwards himself became a noted Arctic explorer. Though 
Franklin was not found. Dr. Kane's explorations and scientific 
observations were most valuable. He reduced to geographical 
certainty more than a thousand miles of coast line in Greenland. 

JOHN KELLEY was born in Lancaster county, but became 
a frontiersman in Union county. In December, 1776, he joined 
Washington's army as major in the Northumberland battalion. 
After the battle at Princeton, when Cornwallis was close upon the 
heels of Washington's army, the commander-in-chief detached 
Kelley with a party of Pennsylvania troops to destroy a bridge on 
Stony creek, to prevent the advance of the enemy. Kelley cut the 
timbers with his own hand midst a rain of British balls. When the 
bridge fell, he went down with it into the floating ice, and made 
his way into camp the same night, not alone, but in company with a 
British soldier whom he had captured on the way. Kelley died at 
Lewisburg, where a monument was erected in his honor. 

KIASHUTHA had his home on the broad bottom-lands just 
above Sharpsburg, Allegheny county, which still bear his name. 
He was one of the active and remarkable Indians of Pennsylvania. 
He appears to have been detailed by the Iroquois, as early as 1758, 
to watch the Delawares and Shawanese, then living at and near 
Fort Duquesne. He lent himself to the schemes of Pontiac 
and allied himself with the British in the Revolutionary war. 
Later, he again became the 
friend of the settlers, visited 
General Wayne, and tried to 
induce the western Indians to 
submit to the Government. 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN 

was born in Amity township, 
Berks county, in 1736. tie 
was a man of considerable 
influence in the General As- 
sembly, in the Pennsylvania 
convention to ratify the Fed- 
eral Constitution, and in the 

State convention which framed the Constitution of 1790. He died 
at his residence in Exeter township, in 1806. His father was 




Home of Mordecai Lincoln. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 231 

Mordecai Lincoln, who had come to Berks county from Massa- 
chusetts, and died in Amity township in 1735. Mordecai had 
much property — some of which was in New Jersey, where he 
willed three hundred acres to his son John. This John Lincoln 
left New Jersey some years later, established himself in Virginia, 
and was the grandfather of the President. The Lincolns were 
closely allied to the ancestors of Daniel Boone, also of Berks 
county. Squire Boone, the father of Daniel, was one of the ap- 
praisers of Mordecai Lincoln's estate, and his "loving friend and 
neighbor ;" while Abraham Lincoln, the subject of this sketch, 
was married to Anna Boone, a first cousin of Daniel. 

LOGAN was the second son of Shikellimy, and was named after 
James Logan, the Indian's best friend after Penn had left the 
province. Logan lived for a long time near a large spring still 
bearing his name in the Kishacoquillas valley, six miles from 
Lewistown. Removing to the west in 1771, he located on the Ohio 
river some thirty miles above Wheeling. Here his whole family 
was murdered by some whites, in a drunken carousal. To avenge 
this foul deed, he ordered his chiefs to commit the most frightful 
barbarities among the whites. When he was asked to consent to a 
treaty of peace, he made a reply that schoolboys might well commit 
to memory. It opens with these words: "I appeal to any white 
man to say, if ever he entered Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave 
him not meat ; if ever he came cold and naked and he clothed him 
not." 

ALEXANDER KELLY McCLURE was a native of Sherman's 
valley. Perry county. He was a farmer's son, educated in the 
village school, and apprenticed to the tanner's trade. But when 
he had learned it he established the Juniata Sentinel at Mifflin. 
He next took charge of the Chambersburg Repository, and at the 
age of twenty-six became a lawyer. Having taken a very active 
part in State and National politics, he soon after entered the Legis- 
lature, and was chairman of the Senate Committee on Military 
Affairs in 18G1-G2. He was a close friend of Curtin and Lincoln, , 
having done yeoman service for the election of both; he played a 
prominent part in Pennsylvania and the Nation during the Civil 
War. When the Confederates burned Chambersburg, he had 
scarcely time to get out of town before the invaders' torch was 
applied to all the property he had. In 1S68 he went to Phila- 
delphia, and after practicing law there and serving another term 
in the State Senate, he estal^lished the Times, in 1875, of which he 
has ever since been the editor. His close relations with Lincoln 
and other public men of the Civil War enabled him to write a 
valuable work, entitled "Lincoln and the Men of War Times." 

GEORGE A. M'CALL was born in Philadelphia, graduated at 
West Point, and served in the Seminole and Mexican wars. 
President Taylor made him Inspector-General of the United States 
army, and in 1861 Governor Curtin appointed him major-general 



232 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

of the Pennsylvania Reserves. He was with the Army of the 
Potomac until the battle of Frazier's Farm, where he was taken 
prisoner. After his exchange, his health made it necessary for 
him to resign. He died near West Chester in 1868. 

GEORGE BRINTON M'CLELLAN was born in Philadelphia 
in 1826, and educated at the University of Pennsylvania and at 
West Point. He had just finished his military course when the 
Mexican war commenced. After it was over the Government sent 
him to Europe as an expert, to report the operations of the 
Crimean war. Upon his return, he was engaged by the Illinois Cen- 
tral Railroad as civil engineer, and afterwards became a railroad 
president. W^hen the Civil War broke out he was appointed 
major-general and placed in command of Western Virginia, where 
he greatly distinguished himself. After the disaster at Bull Run, 
he was made commander of the Army of the Potomac, and soon 
after succeeded General Scott as commander-in-chief. In organ- 
izing the Army of the Potomac, he performed a most valuable 
service ; but in his campaigns before Richmond, he disappointed 
the authorities at Washington, and was relieved of the command. 
Pope's disasters restored McClellan for two months, in which time 
he fought the battle of Antietam. When he was again removed 
and placed on waiting orders, he resigned from the army, in 1864. 
The same year he was the Democratic candidate for President, and 
received 21 electoral votes. He was Governor of New Jersey, 
1878-1881, and died at South Orange, in that State, in 1885. 
"Little Mac" was very popular with the Army of the Potomac, 
in spite of criticism outside of it. 

GEORGE GORDON MEADE was born in Cadiz, Spain, while 
his father was United States Consul there. Upon the return of 
the family to Philadelphia, George was educated in the public 
schools, and afterwards entered as a cadet at West Point. He 
served in the Indian war in Florida and in the Mexican war, and 
was promoted for brave conduct in battle. In 1861 he was made a 
brigadier-general in the Pennsylvania Reserves. The next year 
he rose to the rank of major-general, and after the battle of Chan- 
cellorsville was assigned to the command of the Army of the 
Potomac, which position he held until the close of the war. 
General Meade was highly honored by the people for his high 
character, his great military ability and the important part he 
took in the war of the Union. Philadelphia presented him a 
house, and after his death, in 1872, raised a fund of $100,000 for 
his family. 

WILLIAM M. MEREDITH, who for many years held the fore- 
most rank in Pennsylvania as a lawyer, was born in Philadelphia. 
He helped to frame the Constitution of 1838 and that of 1873, being 
chairman of the convention that framed the latter. He became 
Secretary of the Treasury in 1849 and held the office until Presi- 
dent Taylor's death. He was Governor Curtin's Attorney -General, 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 233 

and was offered the position of counsel for the United States in the 
Geneva arbitration of the Alabama question. Pennsylvania has 
reason to be proud also of Samuel Meredith. The Merediths are 
Welsh. Samuel's father came from Wales and had the honor of 
entertaining Washington when the latter first came to Philadel- 
phia—a young man unknown to greatness and to fame. The two 
accidentally met in a coffee-house, and Meredith made the young 
Virginian his guest while remaining in the city. Samuel, the 
son was a prominent officer in the Revolution and for a long time 
afterwards was Treasurer of the United States. He was a partner 
in business with George Clvmer, and the firm contributed liberally 
to the cause of liberty. About 1800 they invested largely m lands 
in northeastern Pennsylvania. Meredith built himself a mansion 
at Belmont, near Pleasant Mount, Wayne county, where he died 
in 1817. He lies buried in a neglected grave. 

GOUVERNEUR MORRIS came to Pennsylvania in 1778, as a 
delegate from New York to the Continental Congress, then in 
session at York. He became a citizen of Pennsylvania, and prac- 
ticed law in Philadelphia. He was Assistant Superintendent of 
Finances under Robert Morris, delegate from Pennsylvania to the 
Constitutional Convention, and Minister to France. After his 
return from Europe, he again lived in New York, where he died 
in 1816. 

ROBERT MORRIS, the financier of the Revolution, emigrated 
from Liverpool to Philadelphia when he was a boy, and served 
as a clerk for the Willings — the rieh merchant firm of which he 
was afterwards a member. He rescued Congress repeatedly from 
financial crises, by borrowing money on his own and his firm s 
credit The $1,500,000 for Washington's campaign against Corn- 
wallis was raised bv his exertions and on his own notes. From 
1781 to 1784 he was Superintendent of Finance, and on severai 
occasions kept the new nation from going into bankruptcy. When 
the Constitutional government, whieh he helped to form, went 
into effect he was elected United States Senator. He was urged 
to become Secretarv of the Treasury, but he refused, and sug- 
gested Hamilton. In his later years he was unsuccessful in busi- 
ness, lost his fortune, and was at one time imprisoned for debt. 
Thus the man who once had owned the most magnificent home m 
the city of Pliiladelphia died in comparative poverty. 

JOHN MORTON was of Swedish ancestry and was born in 
Ridley township, Chester county (now Delaware). His education 
was very limited, but his talents were great. He was a siirveyor 
Td a farmer until he became engrossed in public business. He was 
justice of the peace, sheriff, common pleas and supreme judge 
member and Speake^ of the Assembly, delegate to the Stamp Act 
CoTgress?to the first Continental Congress and to fe second Hi 
last vear in Congress was the most important part of his life, tor 
he was called on to decide whether to vote for the Declaration of 



234 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Independence or against it. He chose the wiser course and voted 
for it. He died in April, 1777, at the age of fifty-four, and lies 
buried at St. James church, in Chester. To those who could not 
forgive him for his vote in favor of independence, he said in his 
dying hour: "Tell them they will live to see the hour when they 
shall acknowledge it to have been the most glorious service I ever 
rendered to my country." 

LUCRETIA MOTT, a native of Massachusetts and the wife of 
James Mott, began her career in Pennsylvania as a school teacher 
in Philadelphia. Soon after she became a preacher in the Society 
of Friends. She made a tour through New England and the Middle 
States, preaching and denouncing slavery and intemperance. She 
was one of the founders of the American Anti- slavery Society, in 
1833. She was a delegate to the World's Anti-slavery convention, 
held in London, 1840, but was excluded because she was a woman. 
Her exclusion increased the woman's suffrage agitation, in which 
she now became a leader. She took part in the first woman's 
rights convention, in 1848. She remained active in the cause of 
anti-slavery and woman's rights to the end of her long life, in 1880. 

HEINRICH MELCHIOR MUHLENBERG was born in Ger- 
many in 1711. He was a graduate of Gottingen and a man of great 
scholarship and culture. He had intended to become a missionary 
in Bengal, but received a call from Pennsylvania to labor among 
the destitute Lutheran population, which had been much neglected. 
He labored hard in his pastoral charge of Philadelphia, New 
Hanover and Providence, and preached in many other places, 
making long journeys and gaining a wide acquaintance. He was 
also instrumental in bringing other educated ministers from Ger- 
many into the province, thus laying a deep and broad foundation 
for the Lutheran Church. During the Revolution he was an ardent 
patriot, and through his great influence did much for the cause of 
liberty. He was so outspoken that his life was often in peril. At 
his death, wliich occurred in 1787, there was deep and widespread 
sorrow, which found expression in tolling bells, churches draped 
in mourning and the preaching of many funeral sermons. 

JOHN PETER GABRIEL MUHLENBERG, son of Heinrich 

Melchior, was born in Montgomery county, and educated at Halle, 
Germany. He studied for the ministry and preached at Wood- 
stock, Virginia, when the Revolution broke out. He showed his 
partiality for a soldier's life while in Germany, for he ran away 
from the university and joined the dragoons. It was not sur- 
prising that he told his congregation in Virginia one Sunday that 
there was a time to fight and a time to preach. At the close of the 
service he tore off his gown, showing himself in full uniform, and 
reading his commission as colonel. He invited the men of his 
congregation to follow his example, and they did almost to a man. 
He did valiant service for the cause of liberty, and retired at the 
close of the war with the rank of major-general, having partici- 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 235 

pated in nearly all the campaigns in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and 
Virginia, as well as at Stony Point and Charleston. Soon after he 
returned to Pennsylvania, where he was elected to the Executive 
Council and both houses of Congress. He closed his public career 
as Collector of the Port at Philadelphia. He and Robert Fulton 
are Pennsylvania's representatives in Statuary Hall of the National 
Capitol. 

FREDERICK AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG, son of Heinrich 
Melchior, was born in Montgomery county, educated at Halle, Ger- 
many, and preached for a time in New York city. He represented 
Pennsylvania in the Continental Congress in 1778 and 1780, and 
was president of the convention that ratified the Constitution of 
the United States. When the new government was organized in 
1789, Frederick A. Muhlenberg was chosen Speaker of the first 
House of Representatives. He was also Speaker of the third Con- 
gress. 

GOTTHILF HEINRICH MUHLENBERG was another son of 
Heinrich Melchior. He, too, was educated at the University of 
Halle, which he entered at the age of ten and attended for seven 
years. Then he traveled in Germany and England. When he 
returned to America he was ordained as a minister and assisted his 
father in the church in Philadelphia. When the British took pos- 
session of the city he retired to the country, where he devoted 
himself to his favorite study — botany — and acquired a world-wide 
reputation as a botanist. 

LINDLEY MURRAY, of Quaker descent, was born on the 
Swatara, within the present limits of Dauphin county, in 1745. 
He resided in p]ngland the greater part of his life; but his school 
books were repu])lished in this country, numerous editions being 
brought out in Philadelphia. They soon displaced tlie text-books 
of other authors in Pennsylvania, notably those of Noah Webster, 
which had been so largely used. 

JOHN NEVILLE was a native of Virginia, served with Brad- 
dock and through the Revolution. Becoming a citizen of Allegheny 
county, he held several important civil offices. In 1791, when the 
excise law was passed. President Washington appointed him in- 
spector for western Pennsylvania, hoping tliat his great popularity 
would allay the opposition to the law in that section. 

ISAAC NORRIS was a very influential Quaker of Philadelphia. 
Isaac, his father, was likewise a prominent man in the Province, 
and lived in great luxury in a mansion at Fair Hill. Isaac, the 
son, acquired a large fortune in addition to what he inherited. 
He became a member of the Assembly in 1734, and was Speaker of 
that body for fifteen years after 1751. Norris proposed the in- 
scription "Proclaim liberty througliout the land unto all the in- 
habitants thereof," on the State House bell, which was ordered 
from England the first year he was Speaker. He was a strict 



236 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



Quaker, and defended the peace policy of tlie province whenever 
wars broke out. His followers, in opposition to the war party, 
were called the "Norris party." 

THOMAS PAINE, familiarly called Tom Paine, came to Phil- 
adelphia from England, where he had been an exciseman and a 
political writer. He came here at the opening of the Revolution 
and edited the Pennsijlvania Magazine. Besides his Common Sense, 
he published the Crisis, which appeared at intervals during the 
war. His services as a writer were of great value to the American 
cause. After the formation of the State, he was clerk in the Leg- 
islature. When the French Revolution broke out, he was first in 
France and then in England. Being outlawed by the English on 
account of his " Rights of Man," he returned to France, was elected 
to the convention, imprisoned by the Jacobins, and wrote his 
"Age of Reason." He returned to the United States, and died in 
New York in 1809. 

FRANCIS DANIEL PASTORIUS, born in Germany in 1651, was 
educated in the classical and modern languages and all the science 
of his age, and trained in the practice of the law. He arrived in Phil- 
adelphia, August, 1683, and in October began to lay out German- 
town. He was its first bailiff, a member of the Assembly, and a 
signer of the first protest against slavery made in America. This 
protest is the subject of Whittier's poem, "The Pennsylvania 
Pilgrim." Pastorius taught school in Germantown and Philadel- 
phia for many years. He published several works and left others 
in manuscript. His Latin prologue to the Germantown book of 
records was translated by Whittier in the ode beginning "Hail to 
Posterity." He died in Germantown in 1719. 

ROBERT PATTERSON came to this country from Ireland 
when quite young and entered the employ of a merchant in Phila- 
delphia. After going through college, he entered the army in the 
War of 1812, and rose to be captain. He then became a promi- 
nent manufacturer in Philadelphia. When the Mexican war broke 
out, he again buckled on his sword, and was appointed major- 
general of United States volunteers. He distinguished himself at 
Cerro Gordo, and when the Civil War commenced, the offer of his 
services at the first call for volunteers was very welcome. He was 
assigned to the command of the department of Pennsylvania, 
Delaware and Maryland. Having enlisted only for three months, 
and being nearly seventy years old, he was mustered out of ser- 
vice after the battle of Bull Run. He engaged again in manu- 
facturing, and lived to the ripe old age of eighty-nine. 

REMBRANDT PEALE, born in Philadelphia in 1778, was the 
son of Charles W. Peale, who was for nearly twenty years the 
only portrait painter of note in America, having made the first 
likeness of Washington, and the likenesses of nearly all the Revo- 
lutionary officers. The son produced a portrait of Washington at 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 237 

the age of seventeen. He studied abroad for a number of years, 
and when he returned to Philadelphia painted the famous "Court 
of Death" and "The Roman Daughter." He made a great effort 
to have drawing introduced in the schools, but was not very success- 
ful. Both the father and the sou studied under Benjamin West. 
Rembrandt died in 1860. 

TIMOTHY PICKERING, though a native of Massachusetts 
and a resident of that State in the early and late years of his life, 
was identified with so much of Pennsylvania's history that he 
deserves a place in it. As adjutant-general in Washington's 
army, he was at Brandywine and Germantown ; later he served on 
the Board of War and was made quartermaster-general. At the 
close of the war, he went into business in Philadelphia, but re- 
moved to Wilkes -Barre in 1786. He was the leading spirit in the 
settlement of the land dispute between Pennsylvania and the 
Connecticut settlers in the Wyoming valley. He organized 
Luzerne county, and was a delegate from that county in the Penn- 
sylvania convention that ratified the Constitution of the United 
States. He negoti.ated treaties with the Six Nations, was succes- 
sively Postmaster-General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of 
State. From the last office he was dismissed by John Adams be- 
cause he would not resign. He again settled on his lands in 
Pennsylvania; but a number of his friends in Massachusetts 
bought them in order to induce him to return to his native State, 
which he did, and afterwards served in both houses of Congress. 

"MOLLY PITCHER'S" true name was Mollie Hays. Her 
husband was an artillery sergeant. She accompanied him to the 
war, and after two years of camp life immortalized her name at 
the battle of Monmouth by taking his place at his gun when he 
was wounded and by carrying water for the wounded after the battle. 
The latter act won for her the name of "Molly Pitcher." After 
Sergeant Hays died, she married George McCauley. This ex- 
plains the inscription on her tombstone in the old Carlisle grave- 
yard : 

"MOLLIE McCAULEY, 

RENOWNED IN HISTORY AS 

'MOLLIE PITCHER,' 

THE HEROINE OF MONMOUTH. 

DIED JANUARY, 1833, AGED 79 [? ] YEARS. 

ERECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF CUMBERLAND COUNTY, JULY 4, 1876." 

DR. WILLIAM PLUNKET was the first resident physician of 
Northumberland county. He was a native of Ireland, and on his 
arrival in America settled at Carlisle. He was lieutenant and 
surgeon in the French and Indian war, and received for his ser- 



23S A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

vices several hundred acres on the West Branch. To this he gave 
the name of "Soldier's Retreat" and established his residence 
there. He took part in the opening scenes of the Revolution, but 
became neutral afterwards. 

JOSEPH PRIESTLY was an English Unitarian clergyman, 
a scientist, and an author. He made many discoveries in chem- 
istry, and in 1774 discovered oxygen gas. His theological views 
being obnoxious, his church and property were destroyed by a 
mob and he came to America in 1794. He resided at North- 
umberland and continued his scientific investigations there until 
his death, in 1804. In 1874, the scientists of America celebrated 
the centennial anniversary of the discovery of oxygen at North- 
umberland. 

SAMUEL J. RANDALL was born in Philadelphia, in 1828, 
and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He entered politics as mem- 
ber of the councils. He served in the State Senate, and at the 
outbreak of the Rebellion joined the Union army as a private. 
In 1863 he was elected to Congress, where he remained until his 
death, in 1890. He was Speaker of the House from 1876 to 1881, 
and was long the recognized leader of the Democrats in the 
House, except in matters pertaining to the tariff, on which ques- 
tion he was a protectionist. His national reputation made him a 
prominent candidate for the Presidency, and he was brought for- 
ward in the Democratic conventions of 1880 and 1884. 

THOMAS BUCHANAN READ, the Poet-Painter, was born 
in East Brandy wine township, Chester county ; lived in Philadel- 
phia and Cincinnati, spent much of his time abroad, and died in 
New York, in 1872, shortly after his return from the last sojourn 
in Europe. He was not alone a great poet, but an artist, too. His 
portrait of " Sheridan and His Horse" has attained almost equal 
celebrity with his popular poem on "Sheridan's Ride." "Longfel- 
low's Children" is another favorite painting. His reputation as a 
poet rests in the short lyrics contained in his "Lays and Ballads." 
"Sheridan's Ride" was dashed off by the author at a hotel an 
hour or so before attending a reception given to General Sheridan. 

JOHN FULTON REYNOLDS was a native of Lancaster and 
a West Point graduate. After gallant services in the Mexican 
war, he was appointed commander of cadets at the military 
academy. He entered the war of the Union as lieutenant-colonel 
and rose to the command of a corps. General Meade and the en- 
tire Army of the Potomac lost a brave soldier and a noble gentle- 
man when Reynolds fell before Gettysburg. He was but forty- 
three years old, and had it not been for a sharp-shooter's bullet 
he might have won glory on many another battlefield. His re- 
mains were buried in the Lancaster cemetery on the Fourth of 
July, when Lee's army was in full retreat across Mason and 
Dixon's Line. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 239 

DAVID RITTENHOUSE was born on a farm near German- 
town, in 1732. He showed his mechanical genius at the age of 
seven by making a little waterwheel, and ten years later he had 
made a clock with liis own hands. Mathematics engaged his mind 
while at work on the farm. He used fences and buildings as 
blackboards. Before he was of age he had mastered the "method 
of fluxions," of which he for a long time supposed himself the sole 
discoverer. He constructed the most complete orrery that had 
ever been made ; it is now in possession of Princeton University. 
Later on he made a still larger one for the University of Penn- 
sylvania. Rittenhouse succeeded Franklin as president of the 
American Philosophical Society, and was also a prominent man 
in the councils of the State and Nation. He helped to form the 
first constitution of Pennsylvania, was State Treasurer from 1777- 
1789, member of the Board of War, and the first Director of the 
United States Mint. He died in 179G, at his home in Philadel- 
phia, corner of Seventh and Arch. An eulogium upon his char- 
acter was delivered in the presence of Washington, members of 
Congress, the State Legislature, and the City Councils. 

SAMUEL RHOADS was a wealthy builder in Philadelphia 
and repeatedly a member of the Assembly before the Revolution. 
He was elected to the first Continental Congress while he was 
mayor of the city. He helped to found the Pennsylvania hos- 
pital and was an active member of the Philosophical Society. 

JOHN ROACH, a native of Ireland, came to this country at 
the age of fourteen, and settled in New York as a machinist. He 
established a foundry and made the largest engines then in use. 
He was very successful, and in 1871 bought the shipyards at 
Chester. His plant covered 120 acres and was valued at 
$2,000,000. He built sixty-three vessels in twelve years, chiefly 
for the United States. On the refusal of the government to ac- 
cept the Dolphin, in 1883, he made an assignment and closed his 
works; but they were re-opened when the vessel was accepted. 
He built more than a hundred iron vessels altogether, and con- 
structed the sectional dock at Pensacola, Florida. He died in 
1887. 

GEORGE ROSS was a native of New Castle, Delaware, and 
was classically educated. He settled in Lancaster, 1751, and 
practiced law. He served in the Assembly several years and 
was prominent in all the movements that led to the Revolution. 
His first important service was performed as a delegate to the 
Provincial Convention in 1774. The Assembly elected him as one 
of the delegates to the first Continental Congress. He next 
raised a company of associators, and was president of the Lan- 
caster Military Convention, July 4, 1776. He was vice-president 
of the convention that framed the first State Constitution, and at 
the same time a member of Congress, affixing his name to the 
Declaration of Independence, August 2, 1776, in a hand that was 



240 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



second only to John Hancock's in strength and boldness. He 
died as Judge of the Admiralty Court, in 1779. A memorial pil- 
lar was erected in 1897, on the site of his house in Lancaster. 

BETSY ROSS was the wife of John Ross, a nephew of George 
Ross, the signer. The 
house where the flag was 
made is now 239 Arch 
street', below Third, in 
Philadelphia — a small two- 
storied and attic tenement, 
formerly No. 39. She was 
a Quaker lady, engaged in 
upholstering. Washington 
was a frequent visitor at her 
house and knew her skill 
with the needle. She em- 
broidered his shirt ruffles 
and did many other things 
for him. He, together with 
Robert Morris and George 
Ross, her husband's uncle, 
called on her, in June, 1776, 
and told her they were a 
committee of Congress and 
wanted her to make the flag 
from a rough drawing. 
She replied, "I don't know 
whether I can, but I'll try." 
She suggested that the de- 
sign was wrong, the stars 
being six-pointed and not , , , ^ 

five-pointed, as they should be. This and other changes on the 
drawing were made 'by General Washington, in her back parlor. 

PETER FREDERICK ROTHERMEL was born in Nescopeck, 
Luzerne county, 1821. He came to Philadelphia in his childhood, 
and commenced life as a surveyor. At the age of twenty-two he 
followed the natural bent of his mind, dropped the surveyor s 
chain and took up the painter's brush. In 1856 he went to Europe 
and studied art three years. On his return he was elected a mem- 
ber of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He produced 
numerous well-known paintings, some of which are owned abroad. 
After the Civil War the Legislature of Pennsylvania commissioned 
him to paint the " Battle of Gettysburg." He completed the colossal 
work in 1871, and received $25,000 for it. It hung m Memorial 
Hall, Philadelphia, until the Executive Building was erected at 
Harrisburg, when it was placed on the wall of the Flag Koona. 
He died at his home in Linfield, Montgomery county, August, 
1895, in the same week with HoVenden. 




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 241 

BENJAMIN RUSH was born in Byberry township, Philadel- 
phia county, northeast of the city. He graduated at Princeton 
and studied medicine here and abroad. He practiced his profes- 
sion in Philadelphia with great devotion and success. During the 
yellow fever epidemic of 1793, he stuck to his post when all but 
two other physicians had fled. For a whole week, he visited and 
prescribed for about 120 patients per day, and many had to leave 
his office unaided. He was a professor of medicine in the Uni- 
versity of Pennsylvania, and had numerous office students. To 
his fame as a practitioner and teacher of medicine, Dr. Rush 
added the distinction of being an eminent author. He was the 
first writer on temperance in America. He also mixed in the 
councils of the State and Nation, and employed his talents m the 
cause of liberty. In July, 1776, he was chosen a member of Con- 
gress, and was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independ- 
ence, though not one of the delegates present at the adoption. 

CHRISTOPHER SAUR (now Sower) was born in Germany, 
graduated at Marburg University, and studied medicine. He 
came to Philadelphia in 1724, settled in Lancaster county as a 
farmer, but removed to Germantown soon afterwards. Feeling tne 
want of books among his countrymen here, especially m the line 
of religion, he imported Bibles and other works from Germany. 
After he had established his printing house, he issued m the Ger- 
man language an almanac — long continued by his descendants, a 
magazine — among the first in America, and in 1843, the Bible — 
Luther's translation, the largest work yet published m the colonies, 
and with the exception of Eliot's Indian Bible, the first Bible 
printed in America. Saur is supposed to have invented ciist-iron 
stoves; at least he introduced them into general use. He also 
practiced his profession and made eight-day "grandfather' clocks. 
His son, Christopher, who was likewise a prominent man m the 
province, especially in the Tunker Church, continued the publish- 
ing business. The house is still known as the Christopher Sower 
Publishing Company, after an unbroken existence of one hundred 
and fifty years. 

MICHAEL SCHLATTER was born in Switzerland and was 
sent to America by the Reformed Synod of Amsteo-dam to look 
after the German emigrants of that denomination in Pennsylvania. 
He was pastor of the churches in Philadelphia and Germantown 
and organized congregations in this State and in New Jersey, 
Maryland and Virginia. He induced other ministers to come to 
America and assisted in organizing the synod of America. Mis 
work in behalf of the education of the German settlers was untir- 
ing and most laudable. In 1757 he was chaplain of an expedition 
to Nova Scotia against the French, and for espousing the cause ot 
liberty in the Revolution he was imprisoned when the iJritisn 
occupied Philadelphia. 

THOMAS A. SCOTT was born in Franklin county, and oq. 

16 



242 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

account of his father's death was obliged to leave school at the 
age of ten years and earn his livelihood. After filling several 
clerical positions, he began his railroad career at Columbia, where 
he was collector of tolls on the line of the State railroad. He 
was promoted to be chief clerk in the collector's office in Phila- 
delphia; and in 1850 he entered the service of the Pennsylvania 
Railroad Company as station agent at Duncansville, then the 
western terminus of the road. He now rose from one position to 
another, becoming vice-president of the company in 1860, and 
president in 1874. It was largely owing to Colonel Scott that the 
Pennsylvania railroad attained to its high rank among the trunk- 
lines of America — a rank that is second to none. It was during 
the war of the Rebellion that his great abilities were put to the 
severest test. Governor Curtin called him to Harrisburg in 1861 
to direct the movement of troops from the North and the West 
while en route through the State on their way to Washington.' 
When the bridges of the Northern Central railroad had been de- 
stroyed, Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, asked Governor Cur- 
tin to send Scott to Washington in order to open a new route. 
Though he was needed in Harrisburg, the Governor released him 
and in a short time the movement of troops below Mason and 
Dixon's line was again uninterrupted. When Lincoln heard the 
good news, he said, " Thank God ! we are all right again !" Scott was 
now mustered into the United States service as colonel and ap- 
pointed Assistant Secretary of War. In this position he kept up 
an incessant stream of cars, carrying troops and supplies, across 
the Potomac and the Ohio into the heart of the Confederacy. 
Colonel Scott's useful and well-rounded life ended in 1881. 

SHIKELLIMY was of Oneida birth and was probably born in 
New York. He first appeared in Pennsylvania about 1728, living 
on the West Branch, below Milton. Later on, he established him- 
self at Shamokin as the chief of all the Iroquois on the Susque- 
hanna. His influence was courted by the provincial authorities, 
and he attended nearly all the treaties made in his time. He was 
a warm friend of the Moravian missionary, Zeisberger, and of 
Weiser. While in Bethlehem the last time he was converted. On 
his way home he took sick, and died shortly after his return. 
Zeisberger was his spiritual adviser in the last hours, and had him 
buried in a cofi&n. Another important and interesting character, 
near Shamokin, was Madame Montour, a French Canadian, who 
had married Roland Montour, a Seneca brave, and lived on the 
Chenasky as early as 1727. In that year she acted as interpreter 
in Philadelphia between the Governor and the Five Nations. At 
the death of her husband, John and Thomas Penn condoled with 
her publicly, in Philadelphia, while she attended a treaty. Her 
son Andrew was also a provincial interpreter for a number of 
years. He received a grant of land northwest of Carlisle, and was 
captain of a company of Indians in the English service. The 
French set a nriee of £100 on his head. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 243 

WILLIAM SMITH, D.D., was a native of Scotland, educated 
at the University of Aberdeen, and of great learning and executive 
ability. He came to New York at the age of twenty-four, but was 
induced by Franklin to settle in Philadelphia and become the first 
Provost or President of the College of Philadelphia, a position he 
held until the institution was merged into the University of Penn- 
sylvania. He took great interest in political affairs, as well as in 
matters of church and education. He sided with the Proprie- 
taries, and the Assembly had him arrested at one time and thrown 
into jail. But his work as a teacher went on, for his classes met 
him in the prison. When the Revolution commenced he was an 
ardent supporter of the American cause, preaching loyal sermons 
and making patriotic addresses. However, in 1777, he was arrested 
for disloyalty, supposedly because he regarded the Declaration of 
Independence as premature. He gave his parole and retired to 
Maryland, whence he returned in 1789, to receive back what he 
always called "My College." 

JAMES SMITH was one of the men who signed the Declara- 
tion of Independence. When a lad, he came to this country from 
Ireland, and settled with his father on the west bank of the Sus- 
quehanna. He was educated in the classics to some extent, be- 
came a surveyor and a lawyer, practicing these blended professions 
first near Shippensburg, then at York. He resided all the rest of 
his life in York, and was for a long time the only resident lawyer 
there. At the outbreak of the Revolution, he at once took an 
active part in behalf of liberty. He raised the first Pennsylvania 
company for resistance to Great Britain, was a member of the 
Provincial Convention in 1774, and served as a delegate in Con- 
gress. He died in 1806. 

EDWIN M. STANTON, of Quaker stock, was born in Ohio, 
and practiced law there until 1848, when he settled in Pittsburg 
and became leader at the bar of Allegheny county. He went into 
Buchanan's cabinet as Attorney -General, to fill a vacancy. When 
Simon Cameron resigned the portfolio of Secretary of War, Lincoln 
selected Stanton to fill the place. His management of the War 
Department was noted for vigor and integrity. He became em- 
broiled at times with politicians and officers, especially with 
McClellan and Sherman. He remained in Johnson's cabinet after 
Lincoln's death, but was suspended by the President on account 
of serious disagreement. This action brought the quarrel be- 
tween the President and Congress to a head. Stanton was re- 
stored but again removed, and the President's impeachment fol- 
lowed. Congress passed a vote of thanks to Mr. Stanton on his 
retirement. He resumed the practice of law, but his long and 
arduous labors had undermined his strength, and he died in 1869. 

ARTHUR ST. CLAIR came to America as a British soldier, in 
1758. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and served under 
General Wolfe at Quebec. He established himself in Westmore- 



244 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

land county, and took the side of the colonies in the Revolution. 
He served through the whole war and rose to the rank of major- 
general. He represented Pennsylvania in the Continental Con- 
gress from 1785 to 1787, and was president of that body when it 
passed the famous Ordinance of 1787, by which the Northwest 
Territory was organized. He was Governor of this Territory from 
1789 to 1802. He commanded the expedition against the Miami 
Indians, which ended so disastrously. He was sick at the time 
and gave his orders on a litter; but public opinion obliged him to 
resign his command. After his long and distinguished public ser- 
vice, he lived poor and neglected on Chestnut Ridge, Westmore- 
land county, till he died, in 1818. 

THADDEUS STEVENS was born in Vermont. He made 
shoes, taught a country school, and graduated at Dartmouth Col- 
lege before he came to Pennsylvania, as assistant teacher in the 
academy at York. Stepping from teaching to law, he began to 
practice at Gettysburg. He rapidly rose to distinction, and was 
sent to Harrisburg as a law-maker. He took no prominent part 
in the passage of the free school law except to vote for it. But 
when its repeal was threatened, he defended it with all his match- 
less logic and eloquence, and won the day against determined op- 
position. In honor of its author, the speech was beautifully 
printed on silk by some free school friends in Reading, and 
proudly kept by him until his death. He performed great ser- 
vices for the nation later on, but he himself always regarded his 
successful defense of free schools in Pennsylvania as the greatest 
achievement of his life. In 1841 he removed to Lancaster, where 
he was elected to Congress in 1848. He served in that body four- 
teen years, dying in Washington in 1868. He was one of the 
boldest and ablest statesmen who sustained the Union in its 
hour of peril. He was a sincere and consistent friend of the 
colored race. He ordered in his will that his body should not be 
buried in a cemetery where the color line was drawn. He served 
in Congress when he ought to have been at home enjoying the 
twilight of his life ; for during his last year he was daily carried 
in a chair to his seat. 

CHARLES STEWART was born in Philadelphia, and entered 
the United States Navy in 1798. He captured three French ships 
in 1800, and distinguished himself in the Tripolitan War. In the 
summer of 1813 he took command of the Constitution, and captured 
three English vessels that year, and two in each of the following 
years of the war. He received a vote of thanks, a sword, and a 
gold medal, from Congress; a vote of thanks and a sword from the 
Pennsylvania Legislature ; and from New York the freedom of the 
city. From the people he received the sobriquet of "Old Iron- 
sides." He remained in the navy till he died, in 1869, a period of 
seventy- one years, and rose to be rear-admiral. He was the 
grandfather of Charles Stewart Parnell, the great Irish Home Rule 
leader in the British Parliament. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 



245 



HENRY WILLIAM STIEGEL, the founder of the quaint old 
town of Manheim, Lancaster county, emigrated from Manheim, 
Germany. He was a very eccentric character. He made frequent 
visits to his furnace and always drove a four-in-hand. It is said 
that he had a watchman stationed in the cupola of his mansion to 
announce his return home by fii'ing a cannon. A band organized 
among his employes then proceeded to the cupola and many of the 
villagers repaired to his residence to join in the demonstrations. 
Among the recorded facts of his eccentric life is this: When he 
deeded, the lots upon which the Evangelical Lutheran church was 
built, in 1770, the price was to be a red rose, to be paid yearly 
upon demand. The red rose is paid to his descendants to this 
day. It constitutes a very unique and beautiful observance in the 
church, and has attracted much attention in recent years in the 
newspapers and magazines. The Baron afterwards became re- 
duced in circumstances, and ended his life in a log house at 
Womelsdorf, where he taught a village school. 

"Baron Stiegel ist der mann, 
Der die CEfen gieszen kann." 

Baron Stiegel is the man 
Who can cast the stoves. 

BAYARD TAYLOR (1825-1878) was a native of Kennett 
Square, Chester county, and lived there after his many travels by 
land and sea, though he died at Berlin, Germany. Before he was 

twenty -one, he went to 
Europe and made a trip on 
foot among the most inter- 
esting places. His experi- 
ences were recorded in 
"Views Afoot, or Europe 
Seen with Knapsack and 
Staff." This work made him 
famous at once, and he was 
in a position to write other 
books — of travel, poetry and 
fiction — and to become pop- 
ular as a journalist and lec- 
turer. As a novelist, he de- 
picted American life, par- 
ticularly life in Pennsylva- 
nia, as in "Hannah Thurs- 
ton" and "The Story of Kennett." In his verse, too, he often 
drew material from his own State, as, in " The Pennsylvania 
Farmer." The greatest of his poetic efforts is the translation of 
"Goethe's Faust." He loved Germany and the German people. 
While his father was a descendant of an English immigrant of 
1681, his grandmothers on both sides were of German descent. It 
was a fitting coincidence, therefore, that he should have died in 
the German capital, as the American minister to Germany. 




Library of Bayard Taylor at Cedarcrof t. 



246 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Bayard Taylor was the greatest literary man Pennsylvania has 
produced, and Kennett Square may be proud to be his cradle 
and his grave. 

GEORGE TAYLOR was an Irishman by birth, the son of a 
clergyman, who gave him an education more liberal than most 
youths received at that time. On his arrival in America he paid 
for his passage by working in the iron works of Durham, Bucks 
county. He made money, bought an estate in Northampton 
county, and fixed his residence there. He was soon after sent to 
the Assembly and served five years in that body. He was active in 
the movement which led to the Revolution, and entered Congress 
in July, 1776, with Ross, Smith, Rush and Clymer, to take the 
places of those who had opposed the Declaration. He was there- 
fore one of the members not in Congress on the 2d of July, but on 
the 2d of August, when the engrossed document was signed. 
Taylor died in Easton in 1781. 

TEDYUSCUNG was a frequent visitor to Philadelphia, and 
had acquired a free use of English. He was one of the ablest 
of Indian chiefs, but was too fond of liquor. At Albany, while 
negotiating a treaty, he was so much under its influence that his 
wife had to rebuke him publicly. At his earnest request, he was 
baptized by the Moravians; but he relapsed into his old ways, 
though not without regret. Blamed by his own people for siding 
with the English, and envied by the Iroquois for his influence in 
the councils of the province, he was between two fires during 
most of the French and Indian war. In 1763, he burned to death 
in his own house at Wyoming while asleep in bed. Some Iro- 
quois Indians put him to sleep with liquor and then set fire to his 
house. Tedyuscung was the last chief of the Delawares on the 
east side of the Alleghenies. 

WILLIAM TENNENT was a native of Ireland, liberally edu- 
cated, and while there a clergyman in the Episcopal Church. He 
came to America in 1718, and was received as a minister into the 
Presbyterian Church. After a brief pastorate in New York, he 
came to Bucks county, where he remained to the close of his life. 
He preached at Neshaminy; and on land that was given him by 
James Logan he erected the "Log College," a name probably 
given to the school at first in contempt. About 1840 a part of one 
of the logs was found and a cane made from it and given to one of 
the professors of Princeton Seminary. 

CHARLES THOMSON came to Pennsylvania from Ireland at 
the age of eleven. He was a very influential man during the 
Revolution, both in the councils of the State and the United 
States. He was called "the Sam Adams of Philadelphia." He 
was scholarly and true to his principles. The Indians had so 
much respect for liira that he was elected a mptnlter of the Dela- 
ware tribe. They called him "the man of truth," and it used to 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 247 

be a saying — "It is as true as if Charles Thomson's name were 
under it." He was Secretary of the Continental Congress during 
its entire history from 1774 to 1789. He had made a careful 
record of all the proceedings and reduced it to the form of a book ; 
but for fear of offending some of the Revolutionary families, he 
afterwards burned the manuscript. This was probably the greatest 
mistake of his life; for much valuable history is buried in his 
grave. He died in 1824. 

MOSES VAN CAMPEN was a Dutchman from the Minisink 
settlement on the Delaware, but lived near the present site of 
Bloomsburg most of his life, and was famous for his daring in the 
border warfare on the Susquehanna. He and 
a companion once freed themselves at night 
from a guard of nine Indians, killing all but 
one of them. After this wonderful escape, 
he was in great demand to organize bands 
against the Indians. In 1782 he was ordered 
by the government to clear the West Branch 
about Williamsport of Indians. But in this 
he failed ; for he was captured, carried to 
Niagara, and delivered to the British. When 
the Indians learned who he was, they de- 
^. , manded him back. The British officer prom- 

/^ 1 ised to protect him if he would renounce the 

Moses Van Campen. American cause. He replied that he would 
die the most cruel death the Indians could in- 
flict before he would dishonor the character of an American officer. 
His loyalty secured him protection, and he was exchanged when 
the war closed. He died in New York State at a very old age. 

JOHN WANAMAKER was born in Philadelphia in 1838 and 
received a common school education. He became a merchant and 
built up the largest retail business in the United States. He was 
a member of the Centennial Commission and contributed much to 
its success. He has always taken great interest in Christian and 
philanthropic work. He is the superintendent of the largest Sun- 
day School in the world, and a very prominent member of the 
Young Men's Cnristian Association. He was Postmaster- General 
in President Harrison's Cabinet, and made many improvements in 
the postal service by his business-like methods. 

ANTHONY WAYNE was a native of Chester county, and 
played the soldier so much in his boyhood that his father made him 
choose between the farm and his books. He took the latter and 
became a surveyor. In 1774 he was sent to the Provincial Conven- 
tion in Philadelphia, then to the Assembly, and the next year was 
a member of the Committee of Public Safety. In 1776 he joined 
the Northern army as colonel of a regiment. His soldierly quali- 
ties secured him promotion first to the rank of brigadier and then 
to that of major-general He was wounded at Three Rivers, 




248 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

fought at Brandywine, was twice wounded at Germantown, re- 
ceived honorable mention for bravery at Monmouth, and a gold 
medal from Congress for his capture of Stony Point. The people 
expressed their appreciation of his daring by calling him "Mad 
Anthony," He was also present at the capture of Cornwallis. 
Georgia afterwards gave him a farm for driving the British out of 
her borders. In 1791 that State sent him to Congress, but in a 
contest for a seat he lost. He then received the command of the 
Federal army, and once more distinguished himself by subduing 
the Indians of Ohio in the battle of Fallen Timbers. He died in 
the old fort at Presque Isle, in 1796, and was buried "at the foot 
of the flag-staff," according to his request. In 1809 his remains 
were carried to Chester county. 

CONRAD W^EISER at the age of fourteen emigrated from 
Germany with his parents and a company of Palatines. They 
settled in a body in New York. Here young Conrad lived for 
eight months with an Indian chief, who took a great fancy to him 
and taught him the Indian language, so valuable in his life. In 
1723, with many of his German neighbors in New York, he settled 
at Tulpehocken, near Reading. He engaged in farming and ac- 
quired a large tract of land in Heidelberg township. His knowl- 
edge of the Mohawk secured him the position of interpreter for 
the province, in 1732. He held this position as long as he could 
attend to its duties, and was present at all the treaties made. 
His word was held in great respect by the red men. During the 
French and Indian war he was commander of all the forces raised 
west of the Susquehanna. In his last years he lived in Reading. 
He died in 1760, and is buried in the family graveyard, near 
Womelsdorf. 

BENJAMIN WEST was born in the county of Chester (now 
Delaware) in 1738. He was born a Quaker and had a strong de- 
sire to become a painter, but received little encouragement be- 
cause his sect then were opposed to "likenesses" of all kinds. 
However, he overcame all obstacles in his way. He drew his 
sister's baby while he watched it, he learned from the Indians 
how to prepare some simple colors, and he despoiled the cat's 
whiskers to make a brush. A present of a painter's outfit was 
sent to Ben one day by a Friend in Philadelphia, who had de- 
tested his wonderful talents while on a visit to the Wests. With 
it he made a painting that gave evidence of his future greatness. 
In 1759, he visited Italy to study under the great artists. Then he 
found his way to London, where he was patronized by the King 
and became the president of the Royal Academy of Arts. He died 
in London in 1820. 

GEORGE WESTINGKOUSE was born in New York, and as a 
boy became familiar with machinery in his father's agricultural 
works at Schenectady. He entered the Union army in 1863, and 
after his return became a student at Union College. However, the 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 249 

spirit of invention, which had made him most useful in the army, 
was too strong to be shut within college walls. Going to Troy one 
day, a delay, caused by a collision, suggested to Mr. Westing- 
house the idea of a brake under the control of the engineer. 
Being invited to Pittsburg, as agent for the introduction of steel 
frogs he traveled much among railroad men, and finally got con- 
sent to try his air-brake on the "Pan-Handle," between Pittsburg 
and Steubenville. A train of four cars and an engine was fitted 
out in 1868, and the first application of the brake prevented a 
collision with a wagon on the track. The Westinghouse Air- 
Brake Company was formed the next year, and since then Mr. 
Westino-house has taken out more than 1,000 patents, including 
those ot the air-brake, the union switch and signal apparatus, 
and electric lighting. In 1891 the Westinghouse Electric and 
Manufacturing Companv was organized for the manufacture ot all 
these patents. The works are in East Pittsburg and employ thou- 
sands of operatives. 

WILLIAM WHITE, of Philadelphia, graduated from the col- 
lege there at the age of 17. He completed his theological 
studies in 1770, took holy orders in England, and commenced 
his career as an Episcopal clergyman in his native city in 1772. 
He was a zealous supporter of the Revolution, and fled to Mary- 
land when the British occupied Philadelphia. He was chaplain 
to Congress from 1787 to 1801. Dr. White was made bishop of 
Pennsylvania in 1786— one of the first three in America. 

ROBERT WHITEHILL, of Cumberland, but native in Lan- 
caster county, resided on a farm two miles west of Harrisburg 
He was in public life for a long time, and made a brilliant and 
successful record. During a term as Senator of Pennsylvania, he 
was Sneaker at the celebrated impeachment of tne Supreme 
Court He was elected to Congress in 1805, and served m that 
body till his death, in 1813. From 1774, when he served on the 
county committee, to the time of his death, he filled almost every 
position in the gift of the people. 

JAMES PYLE WICKERSHAM was born in Chester county, 
and began his career as an educator by teaching school at the age 
of sixteen. After equipping himself at the Unionville Academy, 
he?ook the principalship of the Marietta Academy, m Lancaster 
county. He was elected the first superintenden of schools m 
Lancaster county. To improve the teachers he held a - Teachers' 
Institute" TM^illersville, and thus laid the foundation of the 
Norma School at that place -the first in the State-of which he 
became the principal. He served in this capacity for ten years, 
when Governor Curtin made him State Superintendent of Com- 
mon Schools. He now had a wide field of usefulness and he cul- 
Svated everv part of it with splendid results during his fourteen 
years ot office Before his death, m 1891, he wrote a History o£ 



250 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 

Education in Pennsylvania, which is a very valuable contribution 
to the history of the State. 

THOMAS WILLING was the business partner of Robert 
Morris. The firm was of great assistance to the Revolutionary 
cause in supplying stores and funds. Mr. Willing was mayor of 
Philadelphia, Judge of the Supreme Court, president of the Pro- 
vincial Congress of 1774, and became a member of the Conti- 
nental Congress in 1775. He voted against the Declaration of 
Independence on the ground that it was not the time for such a 
step. 

DAVID WILMOT, of Bradford county, was born in 1814, and 
educated at an academy. He began the practice of law at Wilkes- 
Barre but soon afterwards settled in Towauda. He became a 
prominent Democratic politician and served in Congress from 
1845-51. He was the author of the "Wilmot proviso," providing 
that slavery be excluded from territory to be purchased from 
Mexico in 1846. It passed the House, but not the Senate. For 
several years the "Wilmot proviso" was brought up and debated 
when new territories were to be organized. After serving as 
president judge in the Bradford district, he became United States 
Senator in 1861. Two years later, he was made Judge of the 
United States Court of Claims. He died at Towanda in 1868, and 
the famous "proviso" is inscribed on his tombstone. 

JAMES WILSON was a Scotchman, educated at Glasgow, 
St. Andrew's and Edinburgh Universities. He emigrated to 
America, and, after practicing law at Reading, appeared in public 
life as a delegate from Cumberland county to the convention that 
met in Philadelphia to concert measures preparatory to the First 
Continental Congress. He retained his residence in Carlisle till 
1777, when he removed to Annapolis, Maryland, and the next year 
finally settled in Philadelphia. He was prominent in the discus- 
sions preceding the Revolution, was several times a delegate in 
Congress, and was one of the signers of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence who also sat in the Constitutional Convention, in 1787. 
In 1789 he was appointed one of the first associate justices of 
the Supreme Court, and was at the same time a law professor in 
the University of Pennsylvania. Wilson's fame rests chiefly in 
the fact that of the fifty -five delegates to the Constitutional Con- 
vention, he was the best prepared, by his knowledge of history 
and the science of government, for the work that was to be done. 
None spoke more to the point and none, excepting Gouverneur 
Morris and Madison, was so often on his feet. He died in North 
Carolina while on his judicial circuit, and was buried there. 

ALEXANDER WILSON was a Scotchman, who came to this 
country in 1794 with a few borrowed shillings and no acquain- 
tances. He worked at first with a copper-plate printer, then with 
a weaver, in Philadelphia. He followed teaching next, and, while 
he taught a school near Darby, Delaware county (seepage 282), 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES 251 



became acquainted with the famous naturalist, William Bartram, 
who, by his own love of birds, deeply interested the young man 
in that branch of nature. Wilson resolved to make a collection 
of all the birds of America. He set out on his first expedition 
in 1804. He studied drawing and etching, and prevailed upon 
a Philadelphia publisher to undertake an American Ornithology, 
of which there are nine volumes. He traveled extensively in 
the United States, collecting specimens, for nearly a decade. 
In his eagerness to get a rare bird, he swam across a river 
and caught cold, which ended in his death, at Philadelphia, in 
1813. Wilson was also a poet. He gave us a beautiful glimpse 
into his life at Darby in his poem — "The Solitary Tutor." 

DAVID ZEISBERGER was a Moravian missionary, who emi- 
grated to Georgia from Moravia, in the Aiistrian empire. He 
came to Pennsylvania to assist in the building of Bethlehem and 
Nazareth. He studied the Delaware language at Bethlehem, and 
went among the Five Nations to acquire the use of theirs. He 
not only did missionary work among Pennsylvania Indians, but 
among those of New England and tlie South. When the various 
tribes had been driven to Canada and beyond the Ohio, Zeisberger 
followed even thither. He died in Goshen, Ohio, a town which 
he founded. He published Indian school books of various kinds, 
and left a diary extending over the years from 1781 to 1798. 

COUNT VON ZINZENDORF, founder of the Moravian colony 
at Bethlehem, was born at Dresden, Germany, in 1700, educated at 
Halle, and after traveling for a time as a religious reformer, was 
appointed a member of the Saxon state council. But political life 
was not to his taste, and he became interested in the Moravian 
brethren, among whom he was ordained a bishop. When he had 
planted the settlements in America and organized a number of 
missionary stations among the Indians, he returned to "Herrnhut," 
his estate in Saxony, where he died. 



INDEX 



Adams county, 170. 
Agriculture, Department of, 1S7. 
Allegheny, city, 19(); county, 02; 

valley, 85. 
Allen, William, 210. 
Allentown, 38, 40, 109, 102. 
Arbor Day, 183. 
Armstrong, "Captain Jack," 55, S7, 

216; John, 64, 90. 110, 210. 
Assembly, First General, 27, 29, 09, 

70, 72, 80, 83, 85, 101, 103. 
Associators, 84. 
Audubon, John James, 217. 
Aughwick, 54. 

Bache, Benjamin F., 217. 

Ballot reform, 186. 

Banks, 100, 146, 157, 188. 

Bartram, John, 217. 

"Battle of the Kegs," 113. 

Beaver county, 65. 

Beaver, James A., 184, 186, 214. 

Bedford county, 120, 154, 176; town, 

55 
Bellefonte, 142. 
Berks county, 102, 137. 
Bethlehem, 38, 88, 89, 109. 
Bicentennial celebration. 182. 
Biddle, Edward, 99, 101, 217; James, 

142, 218; Nicholas, 217. 
Bigler, William, 155, 210. 
Black, Jeremiah S., 218. 
Blackwell, John, 72, 202. 
Bloomsburg, 53. 
Bouquet, Colonel, 92. 
Brackenridge, Hugh, 134. 135, 218. 
Braddock's campaign, 86-88; grave, 

02. 
Bradford, William, 218. 
Brady, Captain Samuel, 64, 219. 
Brandy wine, 107-109. 
Bristol, 22. 

Brown, Charles B., 219. 
Brown's raid, John, 159. 
Bryan, George, 205. 
Buchanan, James, 159, 219. 
Bucks county, 29, 47, 105, 154. 
"Buckshot War," 1.50. 
Burnt Cabins, 55. 
Burrowes, Thomas H., 220. 
Butler county, 65. 
Butler, Zebuion, 50, 119, 220. 

Cadwalader, John, 105, 220. 



Cambria county, 05. 

Cameron, Simon, 163, 220. 

Camp Curtin, 163. 

Canals, 133, 144, 145, 146, 149, 156. 

Capital, State. 136, 143. 

Capitol, State, 80, 143, 188, 190. 

Carbon county, 48. 

Carlisle, 45, 50, 92. 124, 131, 135 

137, 142, 166, 167. 
Carnegie, Andrew, 221. 
Carpenters' Hall, 100. 
Cattle plague, 199. 
Cave dwellers, 73. 
Centennial Exhibition, 178. 
Chambersburg, 56, 159, 105, 100, 

168, 173. 
Charter, Penn's, 70. 
Cherrv Tree, 05. 

Chester, county, 29, 42; town, 27, 29. 
Chevaux-de-frise, 107, 112. 124. 
Christ Church, Philadelphia, 34. 
Christiana riots, 155. 
Clearfield county, 05. 
Clymer, George, 105, 127, 128, 221 
Colonial government, 66. 
Columbia, 142, 144, 154. 
Commerce in the province, 79. 
Conemaugh Creek, 185. 
Conestoga Indians, 44. 
Congress, Continental, First, 99; 

Second, 101, 105, 109, 117, 124. 
Connecticut, 49, 51. 
Connelly, Dr. John, 61. 
Conococheague, 55. 
Constitution, of 1776, 71; of 1790, 

71, 133; of 1838, 71, 149; of 1873, 

71, 181; Federal, 126-131. 
Conwav Cabal, 1 1 5. 
Cooke & Co., Jay, 177, 221. 
Corbin, Margaret, 222. 
"Cornplanter " Indians, 03. 
Countv Act, The Great New, 65. 
Coxe, Tench, 222. 
Cramp, William, 222. 
Crawford county, 65. 
Cresap, Thomas, 57. 
Croghan, George, 87. 
Cumberland countv, 86, 88, 92, 155; 

vallev, 42, 167. 
Curtin, Andrew G., 160, 101, 102, 

163, 167, 174, 211. 

Dallas, George M., 222. 
Danphin county, 42, 130, 143. 



252 



INDEX 



253 



Decatur, Stephen, 142, 222. 

Declaration of Independence, 103, 
104; signers of, 105. 

Delaware, Bay, di.scovery of, 17 
county, 20; Indians, 7, 47, 49, 50 
River, first settlement on, 17, 
state, first settlement in, 18; gets 
a separate Assembly, 73. 

Denny, William, 204. 

Dickinson, John, 90, 99, 101, 103, 
104, 125, 206. 

Dobbins, Daniel, 141. 

Drafts, 164. 

Duane, William, 223. 

Duch<5, Rev. Jacob, 100, 118, 223. 

Dutch, rule, 20; settlements, IS. 

Easton. 38, 4(), 47, 109. 

Education, pulslic, 145, 146-149. 

Elder, Rev. John, 43, 223. 

English .settlers, 22, 33. 

Ephrata, 39, 109. 

Episcopalians, 33. 

Erie, county, 65; Indians, 9; riots, 

157; town, 63, 140, 154. 
Evans, John, 75, 203; Oliver, 223. 
Ewing, James, 105, 224. 

"Fair Play" men, 53. 

Fayette county, 62. 

Fenno, John, 224. 

Findlav, William, 143, 208. 

Findley, William, 135, 224. 

"First Defenders," 162. 

Fitch, John, 126, 224. 

Fitz Simons, Thomas, 127, 128, 224. 

Five Nations, 9. 

Flags, 84, 107, 174. 

"Flat-iron," transferred to Delaware, 

59. 
Forbes, General, 91. 
Forest county, 65. 
Forest reservation, 192. 
Forney, John W., 159, 224. 
Fort, Augusta, 53; Duquesne, 59; 

Fortv, 50, 119; Frontier, 89; I.e 

Ba>uf, 63; Ligonier, 93; Mifflin, 112; 

Presque Isle, 63; Shirley, 90. 
Founders" Week in Philadelphia, 199. 
Franklin, Benjamin, 34, 61, 83, 84, 

86, 89, 101, 103, 105, 117, 126, 127, 

131, 204. 
Franklin county, 130, 165, 166, 176. 
Fries' Rebellion, 137. 
Fulton, county, 166, 176; Robert, 225. 

Gallatin, Albert, 135, 225. 

Galloway, Joseph, 99, 101, 118, 220. 

Geary, John W., 176, 212. 

Germans, 34-41, 62, 78, 79, 102. 

Germantown, battle of, 110; settled, 
35. 

Gettysburg, battle of, 168-172; na- 
tional cemetery, 172. 

Girard, Stephen, 226. 



Gist, Christopher, 59. 
Gookin, Charles, 78, 83, 203. 
Gordon, Patrick, 203. 
Governors under Penn, 72. 
Gray's Ferry, 132. 
Great Meadows, 62. 
"Great Runaway," 120. 
Greencastle, 106. 
(Jreensburg, 62. 
Gregof, David M., 172, 226. 
Grow, Galusha A., 226. 

'.'Hail Columbia," 136. 

Hamilton, Andrew, 202; James, 85, 

204. 
Hancock, Winfield S., 169, 170, 172, 

227. 
Hannastown, 60, 61, 62. 
Hanover, 168. 
Harris, John, Sr., 52; John, Jr., 52, 

136, 143, 227. 
Harrisburg, 46, 120, 142, 144, 167. 
Hartman, Mrs., 94. 
Hartranft, John F., 176, 213. 
Hastings, Daniel H., 187, 214. 
Hazleton affair, 189. 
Hazlewood, John, 227. 
Health, public, 194. 
Heckewelder, John, 10, 38, 228. 
Hendrickson, Captain, 17. 
Hiester, Joseph, 144, 208. 
Homestead strike, 187. 
Hopkinson, PVancis, 228; Joseph, 228. 
"Hot Water Rebellion," 137. 
Hovenden, Thomas, 228. 
Hoyt, Henry M., 181, 213. 
Hudson, Henry, 17. 
Huguenots, 44. 
Humphrevs, Charles, 99, 101, 103, 

104, 229; Samuel, 229. 
Huntingdon, county, 166; town, 55. 

Independence Hall, 81-83, 187. 

Indian country, 62. 

Indiana county, 65. 

Indians, 7-16. 

Inniersoll, Jared, 127, 128, 229. 

Internal improvements, 125, 133, 

139, 143, 144, 145, 146, 149, 156. 
Irvme, William, 135, 229. 



Jack's Narrows, 55. 
Jacobs, Captain, 90. 
Johnston, William F., 
Johnstown flood, 1S5. 
Judiciary, 188. 
Juniata valley, 54. 



153, 210. 



Kane, Dr., 158. 229. 
Keith, Governor, 78, 203. 
Kelley, John. 106, 230. 
Kingston, 50, 119. 
Kiskiminitas, 60. 
Kittanning, 55, 64. 90. 
Kittatinny valley, 46. 



254 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



Kyashuta, 62, 230. 

Lafayette, 107, 109. 

Lancaster, 38, 109, 124, 137, 142; 

county, 39, 86, 88, 92; pike, 133. 
Laurel Hill, 87. 
Law, The Great, 7t). 
Lawrence county, 65. 
Lebanon, 38, 46. 
Legislature, extra sessions of the, 

183, 190. 
Lehigh, county, 137; valley, 38. 
Lewistown, 55, 162. 
Liberty Bell, 81, 104, 109, 187. 
Lieutenant Governor, 71. 
Ligonier valley, 60. 
Lincoln, Abraham, 161. 173, 230. 
Lloyd, Thomas, 73, 202. 
Lock Haven, 53. 
Log College, 42. 
Logan, James, 74, 7(», 77, 203; the 

Mingo Chief, 55,231. 
Loyalhanna, 91. 
Lutherans, 39. 
Lycoming county, 54. 

McCall, George A., 231. 

McClellan, George B., 232. 

McClure, Alexander K., 231. 

McConnellsburg, 1()6. 

McKean, Thomas, 131, 135, 138, 207. 

Mahoning Ci'eek, O.'i. 

Marcus Hook, 142. 

Markham, William, 26, 27, 66, 201. 

Maryland boundary, 56-50. 

Mason and Dixon's line, 5S, KKi. 

Meade, George G., 168, 169, 171, 172, 
232. 

Mennonites, 34, 35. 

Mercer countv, 65. 

Meredith, William M., 232. 

Mcv, Captain, 18. 

Middletown, 120. 

Mifflin Thomas, 99. 101, 127, 128, 131, 
133, 135, 136, 138, 207. 

Militia, 83, 84, 89, 105, 136. 

Miller, Peter, 39. 

Minisink Flats, 19, 48, 49. 

Muiuit, Peter, 19. 

Mischianza, 115. 

MoUie Maguires, 180. 

Monastery, Wissahickon, 37. 

Monroe county, 48. 

Montgomery county, 39, 137, 154. 

Moore, William, 206. 

Moravians, 38, 52, 53, 109. 

Morris, Governor, 90, 204; Gouverneur, 
12S, 131, 233; Robert, 103, 105, 
106, 121, 127, 128, 131, 233. 

Morton, John, 99, 101, 103, 105, 233. 

Mott, Lucretia, 234. 

Mt. Union, 166. 

Muhlenberg, Frederick A., 40, 235; 
Gotthilf, 40. 235; John P. G., 40, 
234; Rev. Henry M., 39, 234. 



Muncy, 53. 

Murray, Lindley, 235. 

Mutiny, of Pennsylvania Line, 123. 

National Guard, 181, 186, 187, 189, 

190, 191. 
N aw, State and Continental, 112, 113. 
Nazareth, 38, 88. 
Neville, John, 134, 235. 
New Gottenberg, 20. 
N orris, Issac, 235. 
North Pole discovered, 200. 
Northampton county, 48, 50, 88, 89, 

137. 
Northumberland, 53, 142. 

Oaths, the taking of, 77, 125. 
Office-holders, qualifications of, 70. 
Ohio valley, 85. 

Packer, William F., 159, 211. 

Paine, Thomas, 236. 

Palatinate, 37. 

Palmer, Anthony, 204. 

Pan-American Exposition, 191. 

Panics, financial, 157, 177. 

Paper money, 80, 114, 121, 123, 124, 
139, 149. 

Parties, political, 84, 131, 136, 138, 
139, 149, 151, 156, 158, 176. 

Pastorius, 35, 236. 

Patterson, Robert, 236. 

Pattison, Robert, 182, 180, 192, 213. 

" Paxtang Boys," 43. 

Paxtang, township, 120. 

Peale, Reml)randt, 236. 

Peary, R. E., 200. 

Penn, John, 204; Letitia Aubrey, 216; 
Richard, 204. 

Penn, William, 22-45 (pa.ssim), 201; 
his return, final departure, ancl 
death, 32, 75, 77; his itleas of 
government, (57-68; his per.sonai 
rule, 72-78; offers to sell province, 
76; his successors, 77, 83; remains 
of, 182; sons and granflsons of, 47, 
76, 77, 83; widow of, 77, 78, 83. 

Pennamite and Yankee war, 50. 

Pennsbury, 22. 

Pennsylvania, name and extent, 24; 
lirst settlers, 22; present county 
map, 179; county map of 1800, 64; 
northern boundary, (i3; form of 
government, 66; charter from the 
king, 24; Charter of Privileges, 70; 
Frame of Government, ()6; a state, 
71; attitude toward British oppres- 
sion, 95-99; furnishes riflemen for 
Continental Army, 102; votes for 
independence, 103; government 
moves to Lancaster, 109, and re- 
turns; 117; share in the Revolution, 
124; ratifies Federal Constitution, 
131; sides with France. 136, 139; 
feeds Union soldiers, 1()4. 



INDEX 



255 



Pennsylvania Reserves, 163, 172, 174. 
Pennvpacker, Samuel W., 192, 19(), 

198. 
Perry county, 176. 
Perry's fleet, 140. 
Philadelphia, Indian name, 15; Penn's 

name, 30; county formed, 29; 

founded, 29-31 ; occupied by British, 

110-116; mutinous soldiers in, 124; 

riots in, 151; fugitive slaves in, 154; 

feeds Union soldiers, 164; buili's 

City Hall, 177, 186, 196. 
Pickering, Timothy, 237. 
Pietists, 36. 
Pike county, 48. 
Pitcher, Mollie, 117, 237. 
Pittsburg, founded, 60; in 1790, 62; 

134, 144, 153, 160, 166, 180, ISC-, 

187. 
Plunkof, Dr. William, 237. 
Plymouth, 50. 
Pok(jno Mountains, 120. 
Police, State, 195. 
Pollock, .James, 156, 211. 
Pontiacs War, 43, 60, 91-94. 
Porter, David R., 149, 209. 
Potter comitv, 154. 
Priestly, Dr. '.Joseph, 238. 
Print z, (lovernor, 20. 
Prohibition amendment, 1S4. 
Provincial Council, 69. 

Qviakers, 23, 27, 32, 33, 34, 41, 43, 73. 

75, 77, 118. 
Quakertown, 154. 

Railroads, 153. 

Randall, Samuel J., 238. 

Raystown, 5<>, 91 . 

Read, I'homas Buchanan, 238. 

Reading, 38, 46, 142. 1(;2. 

Reilemptioners, 79, 83. 

lieed, Joseph. 117, 123, 206. 

Reformed, the, 39. 

Revere, Paul, 98. 

Revnolds, .John F.. 168, 238. 

Rhoa.ls, Samuel, 99, 239. 

Ritner. Joseph. 148, 209. 

Rittenliouse, David, 239. 

Roach, John, 239. 

Road Improvement, 194. 

Rodnev, Ciesar A., 103. 

Ross, Betsy, 240; George, 99, 101, 

105, 239. 
Rothermel, Peter Frederick, 240. 
Rush, Dr. Benjamin, 105, 241. 

St. Clair, Arthur, 61, 243. 

Saur, Christopher, 37, 241. 

"Saw-dust War," 176. 

Schlatter, Rev. Michael, 39, 241. 

Schools, common, 156, 183; for sol- 
diers' orphans, 174. 

Schuylkill river, 17, 144; valley, .38, 
52. 



Schwenkfelders, 38. 

Scotch-Irish, 42-44, 46, 54, 62, 78, 

134. 
Scott, Thomas A., 161, 174, 241. 
Scranton, 181 . 
Seventh Day Baptists, 39. 
Shamokin (n')w Sunbury), 9, 49, 53. 
Sherman's valley, 54. 
Shikellimy, 9, .52, 242. 
"Shinplasters," 139. 
Shippen, Edward, 2t)2. 
Shippensburg, 46, 56, 92, 166. 
Shulze, John A., 145, 208. 
Shunk, Francis R., 151, 209. 
Sideling Hill, 58. 
Sinking Spring, 5(5. 
Six Nations, 9, 49, 121. 
Skippack Creek, 110. 
Slavery, .33, 36, 74, 121, 151. 
Slifer, p:ii, Kd. 

Smith, James, 105, 243; William. 243 
Snyder, Simon, 139, 140, 142, 207. 
Sons of Liberty, 9(). 
Stamp Act, 95"^, 
Standing Stone, 55, 64. 
Stanton, Edwin M., 161, 166, 243. 
Steamboats, 126. 

Stevens, Thaddeus, 148, 162, 244. 
Stewart, Charles, 142, 244. 
Stiegel, Henry William, 245. 
Stone, William A., 190, 192, 215. 
Strikes, 177, 180, 187, 189, 190. 
Stroudsburg, 120. 
Stuart, Edwin S., 198. 
"Sun Inn," 138. 
Sunbury, 9, 49, 53, 120, 142. 
Supreme Executive Covmcil, 71. 
Susquehanna valley, 52-54. 
Swaannendael, 18. 
Swedish settlement, 19-22. 

Taylor, Bayard, 245; George, 105, 

246. 
"Tea Party," 97. 
Tedyuscung, 246. 
Telegraph, 1.53. 
Temperance, legislation, 184. 
Tennent, William, 246. 
Thomas, George, 83, 84, 203. 
Thomson, Charles, 24(). 
Tioga Point, 144. 
Tories, 117, 118, 125. 
Treaty Elm, 28. 
Triangle, the, 63. 
Tunkers, 37. 
Tuscarora valley, 54. 

Underground radroad, 154. 
Unrest, the, 17. 
Upland, 27. 

Valley Forge, 113, 115, 117, 196. 
Van Campen, Moses, 53, 247. 
Venango coimty, 65. 
Virginia, claims of, 60 61. 



256 A SHORT HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA 



"Walking purclia.se," tlic, 47, S4, 8S. 

Waiiaiiiaker, .Jofm, 247. 

War, King (Jeorge's, 84; Frencli ami 

Indian, 85-91; of tlie Revolution, 

101-124; of 1812, 140-142; Mexican, 

152; of the Union, 102-173; Spani.'^u, 

189. 
Warren county, ()5; town, 03. 
Washington county, 02, 134. 
Washington, Cieorge. 42, 5'J, «7, 

102-117 (passim), 128, 132, 135. 
Wayne, Anthonv, 108, 109, 111, 123, 

247. 
Weiser, Conrad, 52, 84, 85, 248. 
Welsh, 41. 

West, Benjainin, 248. 
West, Branch, .53, 144. 
West Chester, 154. 
Westinghouse, (Jeorge, 248. 
Westmorelanci county, 00, 120; town, 

51. 
Wharton, Thomas, .Jr., 118, 205. 
Whigs, 118, 138, 149. 
Whisky Insurrection, 134-130. 
White Marsh, 113. 



White, William, 249. 

Whitehall, Robert, 249. 

Wicaco, 21. 

Wickersham, James Pyle, 249. 

Wilkes-Barre, 50, 51, i81. 

Williamsport, .54, 170. 

Willuig, Thomas, 103, 104, 250. 

Wilmot, David, 258. 

Wilson, Alexander, 250; .James, 103, 

105, 121, 127, 128, 131, 250. 
Wolf, Cieorge, 140, 208. 
World's Fair, 187. 
Wright, .John, .57, 1.54. 
Wright's Ferry, 137. 
Wright svi He, 107. 
Wynne, Dr. 'I'homas, 41. 
Wyoming, mas-sacrc, 118; volley, 49- 

51. 

Yellow fever, 74. 133. 
York, county, 57, 80; town, 40, 109 
142, 107. 

Zeisberger, David, 05, 251. 
Zinzendorf, 38, 52, 251. 



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One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



lot 22 0m 



